Sunday Afternoon Tea - He still can shut the mouth of lions

Crisis fatigue.  It is a term I heard recently for how many of us feel at the end of 2020.  I certainly can relate to that term, along with many others.  I don't know... spiritual burnout?  I have heard since I became a Christian that one should be full of the Word of God before a crisis to draw on that strength when needed.  I thought I was...

I do understand that it probably seemed worse in October after being laid flat on my back (side?) with an extremely painful infection and then spending ten days on antibiotics.  When the body is worn down, it seems as one's nerve endings are more raw than usual and what you can usually walk through just fine will suddenly be more difficult.

So, it was with this attitude that I watching the Dove awards a couple nights ago when I heard God speak to me through a song.  I actually felt His presence as if warm peace flowed over my soul.  Not unlike David must have felt when he was anointed king by the pouring of olive oil on his head.

I was watching Turen Wells, Jenn Johnson, and others sing Famous For (I Believe) when the words "Shut the mouths of lions" and the image of Daniel in the lion's den appeared in my mind in full Technicolor.  That is only one line from an excellent song but it is what spoke to me.

God is still able to shut the mouth of lions!

Daniel lived in tumultuous times, to say the least.  His country had fallen into captivity by the Babylonians.  As a royal son in the lineage of David, he is taken as a teenager to Babylon to serve Nebuchadnezzar in his court, along with others we meet later when they are tossed in a fiery furnace.

One would think God would rescue him since he is royalty but instead... God uses him in Babylon.  He served four kings during his long life and we know he was probably in his 80s when he was thrown into the den of lions for not backing down in openly praying to his God.

I suppose by that age, he has had plenty of experience with God and knew he would either rescue him or "take him home".  By keeping the hungry lions from eating him, God not only rescued Daniel but he showed his captors who was the one true God.

I can't tell you why I felt such peace at that time when listening to the song but I do know I was reminded that peace comes only from the inside out.  If I keep my eyes on the election and the possibilities of what will happen in this country and in the world in the next months, then there is no peace at all.

However, when I think of the generations before us that lived through wars and turmoil and civil unrest... when I think of what brothers and sisters in Christ are experiencing right now in countries around the world... I must remember that this world will never be a perfect place to live.

If we are alive at this time in history, then there is a reason we are here. Each of us has a place in this world, in the Body of Christ.  He doesn't want us falling apart at this very time we are needed to be salt and light.  If nothing else, we are to be one of His people of prayer for our families, our friends, our own nation, and the world.

Every once in a while, I will remind my husband that not everyone lives in the first part of Hebrews Chapter 11.  Some of His beloved are found in the last paragraphs, those who suffered, who were tortured and flogged and were destitute and mistreated.  

It does not say that those that were rescued had more faith than those who gave up their life for Him.  God did not love one group more than the other.  I don't know why some are called to suffer and some have glorious testimonies of healing and rescue.  But God knows and gives grace to all as they walk their journey.

We can have this assurance that whatever is ahead for the world... for each of us... He is already there.  God lives out of space and time and He knows our beginning and our ending.  He is not going to let us slip through His fingers.

I have been purposely seeking peace by, of course, reading the Word but also by seeking those things that bring peace.  As I write, I have the Getty's new CD called Evensong playing.  It is subtitled "Hymns and Lullabies at the Close of the Day" and it is the most peaceful music I have heard in a long time.

The first time I played it, my husband walked in the Study and asked me about that beautiful music.  It is now in my rotation of peace giving music, along with old favorites like John Denver, Rich Mullins, and Indelible Grace.  My taste, if anything, is eclectic.

We all need to spend more time seeking peace in this day and age we find ourselves living.  Remembering always that while lovely music and books and movies and lighting candles and sipping good coffee or tea... all can help us find a more peaceful environment.

Only through Jesus can we find perfect peace... the kind that will grow stronger as we walk with Him.

Mentioned in this Blog Post

Evensong by Keith & Kristyn Getty: CD (currently sold out)... here, Download... here.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate Links

Image: Sanctuariesindia.com