Where Can I Run?
Sweat was pouring down his forehead. His knuckles were turning white, and he was struggling in his seat as he began to raise his voice saying,
“Get me out of here!”
We had just screeched to a halt after twisting, flipping, and racing through the Batman roller coaster, and it was taking a little too long for us to be unloaded from the tangle of seatbelts and safety restraints.
I’ve always wondered why my dad insisted on taking us to Six Flags every year before school started because this always seemed to happen. He would inevitably become severely claustrophobic on one…or several…of the attractions.
Nevertheless, we always had so much fun on those trips, and they are some of my favorite memories.
At that time, I didn’t really understand the feelings of confinement that my dad endured when he was strapped into a roller coaster car, but years later, in a much different situation, I would become all too familiar with the experience of feeling trapped.
Do you ever feel trapped?
A blonde woman looking out of a gate with sunshine beaming through.
Maybe it’s a job that you cannot seem to advance in, a relationship from which you cannot break free, or a situation from which it feels like there is no way out.
Trust me, you are not alone!
In Daniel Chapter 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also found themselves trapped in a pretty difficult situation. King Nebuchadnezzar had erected a large gold statue and had commanded all to bow down and worship the idol. If anyone refused this command, the king warned, they would be thrown into a fiery furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, however, refused to serve the King’s gods or to worship anyone or anything other than the Lord, who they knew was the one and only true God.
This made King Nebuchadnezzar furious, so he tied up the three men and threw them into the fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:19-20, NLT)
While it is not quite as confining as a fiery pit of doom, my blindness can make me feel trapped at times.
If I am in an unfamiliar setting and my sighted guide walks off, I feel like I cannot move.
If I am at home and realize I need something from the store, I feel trapped because I cannot drive and run the errand myself.
When I begin thinking about all of the limitations that my blindness can cause, I feel stuck in the future that, at times, can seem uncertain. If you are like me, such hardships can make you feel claustrophobic and helpless in much the same way as my dad felt on that roller coaster.
When we face situations in life that make us feel trapped, it can be easy to just want to run!
Sara Claudia walking towards sunshine on a trail surrounded by colorful trees.
We desperately want the freedom to escape from our problems or difficulties.
Where do you go to escape?
Is it to the gym to work off some steam, the relaxing atmosphere of the nearest spa, or to a friend’s house to vent?
Before I lost my sight, I would run off to the barn, tack up my horse, and hit the trails when I was facing a hard situation that was closing in around me.
The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego teaches us, however, that sometimes we have to face that fiery furnace.
It would have been so easy for these three men to run from their problems. The king gave them plenty of chances to submit, worship the statue, and avoid being bound and thrown into the fire. They could have easily obeyed and ran straight into safety.
With their courage and trust in the Lord, however, they showed us that, instead of running away, we can run to God.
When Nebuchadnezzar threatened the three men, they replied by saying,
“…Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.” (Daniel 3:16-17, NLT)
When we run to God and put our full trust in Him, we can find true freedom from what binds us, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!” “ Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisors crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke.” Daniel 3:25-27, NLT)
When we are feeling weighed down and tied up by life and like we just need an escape, we do need to run… Straight to the Lord.
Graphic that says, "We do need to run... Straight to the Lord."
This means that we allow ourselves to be honest with Him about what we are struggling with as we submit to Him in prayer and that we remain obedient to His guidance as we trust Him to work in our lives.
I can trust God to free me from the hardships of my disability, and you can trust Him to lift those burdens, break those chains, and deliver you from the fire you are facing today.
