“Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.”
Bonus points if you can tell me who said those words. They ring truer to me today than they ever have. Legacy opportunities almost never come along in a moment of convenience. It’s annoying! Mostly because it’s so contrary to the “happily ever after” story the world tries to sell us. Happily ever after has never been my legacy story. Like…not ever. Every piece of legacy I have ever established happened in moments of deep struggle. I suppose I should not be surprised. There is an overwhelming amount of Biblical support for legacy stories born out of trials.
Take, for example, the story found in Daniel 3. Let me set the stage for you. Nebuchadnezzar has set himself up as the reigning king of Babylon. By all accounts, he has everything he could ever want. But as power often does, it corrupts him and makes him suspicious about the loyalty of his followers. Side note: Isn’t it funny how just at the time we think we have everything we need, we discover what we really want is still out of our reach? So, to satisfy himself, the king makes a rule. His rule is this – when a certain song plays in his kingdom, everyone who hears it should bow down and worship a golden idol. Such a simple plan. But right there in the middle of his brilliant scheme are three God-fearing men who refuse to bow down. Imagine how irate the king must have been when he heard about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! Who are these men that they would dare defy the king? The king, in turn, decides these three men should either obey him or literally burn to death. Check out their answer:
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Oh my goodness! Keep in mind, up until this point, these three men have done nothing but mind their own business. They didn’t wake up that day thinking “Today is a good day to create legacy! Or burn to death. Whichever. God, it’s up to you.” No, they were simply going about their everyday lives when someone asked them to make a choice. And how do they answer? “Dear King, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in the matter. God is able to deliver us from the fire and from your hand. But even if he doesn’t, we stand by our decision.” Good grief! The tension in that room must have been almost unbearable! The king, of course, makes good on his promise and throws them in the fire. As you probably already know, God sends an angel to keep them company and ultimately saves them out of the fiery furnace.
Let’s pause for a moment, though, because I think sometimes we rush the story a little bit in order to get to the victorious end. It’s important we take notice of a couple things happening in the middle. First, God didn’t keep them from going into the furnace. I’m sure He could have. He’s God. But He didn’t. They were thrown into the fiery furnace EVEN THOUGH they were walking in obedience to Him. I wince a little bit at the idea that walking in obedience doesn’t mean there won’t be fire. Don’t you? The thing about fire is – it’s hot! Which leads me to my second point. Just because the fire didn’t consume them doesn’t mean it wasn’t hot. The Bible says the King heated the furnace up seven times hotter than usual! The guards who carried them to the furnace entrance actually died from the heat coming out of the furnace! There’s a lot the Bible doesn’t say about the situation inside the furnace, but I have to wonder… Were they sweating in there? Was it hot enough they worried about surviving? How long did they stand in the fire before the angel showed up? How long before they were finally called out of the fire? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Exactly how long did they sweat it out waiting? All the while, even as they were standing in the flames, legacy was being created for generations to come. Wow.
I tell you what, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been standing in the fire for almost three years now. Is God here? Yes! Resoundingly so! But it sure gets hot sometimes. I didn’t choose this moment or this way to build legacy but I believe with my whole heart that this is our legacy opportunity. God is able to deliver us from this fire and from the hands of the people who try to hold us captive, but even if He doesn’t, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Today, if you feel like your legacy opportunity has been handed to you in the worst possible moment, you are not alone. So many have gone before you. So many stand beside you. I know it’s hot. But hold tight, deliverance – AND LEGACY – are coming.
Jennifer
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