Dare to Trust the Unknown to the Unseen

For the first time in forever, I finally get to write again! It's been a long road involving a lot of growth as a a now PRACTICING physical therapist and a person for sure. In this season of life that I have been travelling here lately, there has been a lot of changes and "rearranges" that I've had to account for. And with all these changes, there has honestly been so much unknown in my life. And if you know me in any way, shape, or form... I am NOT a fan of the unknown. I am a do-er. A planner. A make a decision and hope for the best kinda girl. The unknown has never been my thing. Frankly - it gives me so much anxiety and I know that the vast majority of it comes from the fact that it is something outside of my control (try as I might of course). Due to this fear of the unknown, I find that often my prayers are geared towards trying to find those answers. Often, I ask God to reveal the answers to me in some form or the other and try to essentially bug the Lord into submission to make Him reveal His great and might plan for my life so that I can "be prepared" for all He has to offer me. When in reality I'm so scared of not knowing that I just hope that God will go ahead and tell me to save me from the surprise. I'm sure that we've all felt that way at some point or another, but let's just say that I definitely feel it more now the older I've gotten, the more responsiblities I've received, and the more people that have began to rely on me for one reason or another.

I would love to say that because of these feelings I have turned to the Bible and sought the answers in God's word instead of praying to God like He is my magical genie instead of the Lord of all Creation... but alas I disappoint you again. I honestly have been just sitting in it and kind of hoping that the answers pop up out of thin air. But even when I don't see Him and even when I don't meet him halfway, God is working in moving in all sorts of mysterious ways. So as most of you know I have also been volunteering as the youth leader for my church, and this last week was our VBS. Now with my work schedule I did not get to speak as much this year as I have in previous times, but turns out the Lord really just wanted me to be present and listen. On the second day, the lesson was geared around the book of Daniel and the different trials that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went through after being captured by Babylon.

For those unfamiliar, Daniel and his friends were young men (estimated to be between then ages of 15-18) when they were captured by the Babylonian empire. During this time, the Babylonians would take the best and the brightest of those they captured and would change their names to reflect their gods and would then work to indoctrinate them so they could then conquer other nations. For example: here is the meaning of the boy's original names vs their names given by the Babylonian empire:

Daniel: God is my judge -> Belteshazzar - o wife of the god Bel, protect the king

Hananiah: Jehovah is gracious -> Shadrach -I am very fearful of god the moon god

Mishael: Who is like God? -> Meshach - I am of little account (OUCH)

Azariah: Jehovah is my helper -> Abednego - servant of the shining one

Not only did the Babylonians take these children's names and change them, but they were then placed in a training program for three years where they were to eat the king's food and were taught the Babylonian culture. These four boys were taken from their homes, had their names changed, and were then forced to learn about the very culture that took them captive. Talk about a situation far beyond anything we could fathom. However, during their time in Babylon, God took a situation that could've easily been used for evil against these four as an opportunity to fully infiltrate the Babylonian empire. Throughout their time in the Babylonian empire, God worked in them and through them to show THE BABYLONIAN PALACE who God really is. In the first six chapters of Daniel, some of the most notable stories of the Old Testament occur, including:

1. Becoming some of the "best looking" of their "recruiting class" by only eating vegetables/clean food instead of the wine and meat from the king's table that others were being fed.

2. God reveals the interpretation of the king's dream to The Four in order for them to avoid being executed.

3. God spares Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the firey furnace after they did not worship King Nebuchadnezzar's statue.

4. Daniel's life is spared from the lion's den after he was thrown in due to jealousy from top ranking government officials who instigated the creation of a new law involving worship.

What do 3/4 situations above have in common? Daniel and his friends needed God to act in order to avoid DEATH. They were living in hostile territory with enemies surrounding them. The King was ruthless and had no problem threatening to kill his wise men and their families - which Daniel and his crew were a part of. Despite all of this, God intervened in big ways in each of the three major life or death situations and used The Four's testimonies in order to reach the ears of the king and his court. When Daniel and his friends interpreted the king's dream, Daniel ensured that he mentioned that the dream came from God. When Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace, they told the king before they were thrown in, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are to be thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve will save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." ... MAN to have faith like THAT. To be so certain that God is going to rescue you. And realizing that even if He doesn't - loving and serving God means so much more to you that you would rather die than to betray/disavow Him. Finally, when Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, he made sure to tell King Darius that the Lord sent an angel to protect him because he found him innocent and that he did not wrong the king. And due to this obedience, not only did they impact the palace for the kingdom of God, but God blessed them and made The Four some of the highest ranking officials in Babylon.

Why do I share all of these stories you ask? Because throughout their time in Babylon (which happened to be the rest of their lives) Daniel and his friends had no clue what was going to happen to them from day to day. They were separated from their families, forced to learn and "become" a part of the culture that captured them, and then had to live day by day hoping that it wouldn't be their last for whatever reason. . Because of this, they could've chosen to give up on God. They could've cursed God for the situation they found themselves in and sat in all of the misfortune they found themselves in. BUT. THEY. DIDN'T. Despite the circumstances, they worshipped anyway. Despite the hard, they worshipped anyway. Despite the unknown, they worshipped anyway. Despite death being on their doorstep all the time. THEY. WORSHIPPED. ANYWAY. They trusted their unknown future to an unseen God because they knew there was no way they could do it on their own. This caused them to not only succeed despite insurmountable circumstances, but were able to show the great Babylonian empire who God really is.

Imagine if we were able to take that and apply it to our own life situations. To worship even in what seems like the hard and the insurmountable. To be willing to trust our unknown to the unseen and know that He who has given the meanings of dreams, saved from the firey furnace, and shut the mouths of lions knows what my future holds and will not hold out on me. He will walk with me step by step through the unknown just like He did every day with Daniel and his friends. So my friends, I dare you and I dare myself to trust the unknown to the unseen. Have reckless faith in the One who made you and knows exactly what your future holds. And make sure that you praise Him the whole way through. Even when you don't see it. Even when it's hard. Thanks for coming to my first TED talk in a while. I love y'all immensely.