Friday, October 24, 2003
Friday, October 24, 2003
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.
If you find yourself in the lions den, remember to keep your eyes on Jesus.
(Philippians 4.7
NRSV)
Charles Stanley tells a grand story about a time in his ministry when he was really
struggling--lots of opposition, lots of conflict of all sorts. In the midst of this turmoil, an elderly
member of his church invited him to her apartment for lunch. Stanley hesitated. It was a busy
time and he was reluctant to go. He didn't know if she was going to preach him a sermon or
what. She could tell he was hesitant and said, "Son, you need to come." Finally, he agreed. He
met her downstairs at the retirement community where she lived. They had lunch there, and
then rode the elevator to her apartment. Entering the apartment she said, "Now son, I don't want
you to sit down. I want to show you something." She took him to a place in her living room. There
she had a picture of Daniel in the lion's den hanging up on the wall. She said, "Son, I just want
you to look at this picture and tell me what you see." Stanley looked at the picture and saw that
all the lions had their mouths closed and some of them were lying down there. Daniel was
standing with his hands behind him looking up at this red light coming into the prison. Stanley
told the older lady everything he knew to tell her. He told her all about Daniel and the lions and the
bones. She asked, "Anything else, son?" He said, "No, ma'am." She put her arm around him and
said, "Son, what I want you to see is, Daniel doesn't have his eyes on the lions, but on Christ."
Lord Jesus, in the hurts and opposition of life, may I find peace with you in my heart. Amen.
