A Reason to Celebrate

"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 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." Daniel 3:16-18

Today is the third day of Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday also known as the Festival of Lights. It is an eight-day celebration commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BC. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December. The festival includes many traditions such as the kindling of the lights of a unique nine branched candelabrum called a Hanukiyah, one candle lit on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. Special foods are prepared, gifts are given to children each of the eight nights, and a game called Dreidel is played with chocolate coins. From the Hebrew word for "dedication" or "consecration", and commemorates the "miracle of the container of oil". According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil. This gave the Hebrews a Reason to Celebrate, and they have continued the tradition of pausing and rejoicing for God’s intervention up to this very day!

The period of history just before the first Hanukkah was filled with great persecution of God’s People, many gave their lives for their faith. Many of the historical accounts mirror what happened to the Jews during World War II. The stories of martyrdom such as the one of Hannah and her seven sons have also been linked to Hanukkah. According to a Talmudic story and 2 Maccabees, a Jewish woman named Hannah and her seven sons were tortured and executed by Antiochus for refusing to eat pork, which would have been a violation of Jewish law. This mother had to stand and watch each of her sons from the oldest to the youngest die a horrible death simply because when each of the boys were asked to renounce their Jewish faith, they boldly refused. It is a sobering thought to consider having to face such persecution as a mother, and reminds us that we are blessed each day we are not asked to give such a sacrifice for our faith. There are believers in the world today that do not share our freedoms and do give their lives for simply believing in Jesus Christ. We must always remember to hold them up in prayer, for God to strengthen and encourage and protect them, and be with them when they are called to face persecution even to the point of death.

The reason for this devotion today is to remind each of us as Christians that we may someday also be called upon to stand for our faith when public opinion or political climate shifts to not support freedom of religion in our country for Christians who choose to live from a Biblical worldview. We are blessed to be in a country at this time that does not prohibit our public worship and does not ban our Holy Book, the Bible, but this may change in the coming years, and we need to prepare ourselves to stand for what is right according to God, not man. We need to prepare our children, just as Hannah did, who raised her sons to not crumble under persecution for their faith. As I was reading some of the accounts of those who stood against the tyranny of Antiochus, I couldn’t help but think of other Biblical examples of courage and faith such as the well known story of the three young Hebrew boys and the fiery furnace because this is a shining example to me of how we must really KNOW what we believe, and already KNOW how we will respond when we are challenged for our Biblical beliefs. The Hebrew boys didn’t need another chance, or a few minutes to think about their answer when the king ordered them to do something that violated their beliefs, there was no chance of compromise, they KNEW what they believed, they knew WHO they believed in, and they were not willing to waiver, even in the face of death. The fiery furnace story is well-known among Jews and Christians. In the passage, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego), defy King Nebuchadnezzar’s order that they bow down and worship a golden idol. My favorite part of the passage is verse 18, because as they stood before the king, the youth were resolute and unwavering, regardless of the outcome from their reply… they chose to believe in God even if He chose not to deliver them, it would not change their answer. Nebuchadnezzar, in a rage, ordered the men thrown into a furnace, but they are miraculously unharmed by the flames and survived the experience without even smelling of smoke. Nebuchadnezzar is shocked and decided to look into the flames only to see them walking around in the furnace along with an unnamed fourth Man. (As believers, we know Who that fourth man was, it was the Second Person of the Trinity, a pre-incarnate visitation of Jesus Christ, Who came and walked with them in the midst of their fiery ordeal.) I believe with all my heart that Jesus will do the SAME for each of us when the times come for us to stand for our faith.

So, I encourage all of you to begin to:

1) Prepare for this time if the Lord tarries and we are faced with persecution as His people. Spend time in God’s Word, fill your mind with the Truth of what God says. Do not take for granted your freedoms now, while you have them.

2) Be ready for when trials come, for they surely will.

3) Decide beforehand that the outcome of the situation you face will NOT change your stand.

3) Be assured that God will never leave you nor forsake you, He will be the Light in your darkness, He will shine bright, just as our Hebrew friends light candles to commemorate Hanukah for the miracles that took place 2,200 years ago. Know and rest in the knowledge that God is the SAME yesterday, today and yes, forever.

4) Having done all according to God’s Word, prepare to take a STAND, as Ephesians 6:13 teaches us. Watch and see how God delivers you from what comes against you.

5)Then remember to Celebrate and give Glory to God no matter what the outcome~ in God’s ways and in God’s timing He will send His intervention and love and answer in your time of need. He will never let you down, so rest in that promise and wait on Him, even if it doesn’t appear that way initially. When you run out of gas on the freeway, thank the Lord that He probably saved you from a horrible crash if you would have continued driving. When you lose your job, thank God for the amazing job that He is lining up for you somewhere else. When your checking account is negative and your cupboards are bare, thank the Lord in advance for how He will miraculously provide for you even if you have to miss a couple of meals (I am pretty sure that most of us will survive if that happens…). When a loved one dies, trust that God knew what was best and that although we miss those who pass and hope for a miracle of healing, we must trust that it was God’s timing. All things work together for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28), even the bad things, even the things that seem to be failures or losses. Remember that God never changes, nothing ever surprises Him, and He loves you passionately and will never let go of you, even in the fiery furnaces of life. Let God work through each circumstance and find ways to show you His plan even when the victory is not apparent yet.

Enjoy this time of year, celebrate Hanukkah with our Hebrew brothers and sisters, and remember all the miracles that God has performed in your lives. Jesus is the Light of the World, and no matter what may come our way, we will stand for Him because He stood for us when He died on the cross to take away our sin and shame. We have a Reason to Celebrate every single day of the year, but especially at this festive season when we give thanks for God sending His Only Son!

Shalom, sister Lahoma

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