Small Words, Big Impact
Prepositions are small words that carry a big impact. Switching out one preposition for another in a sentence can change everything about that sentence.
Over the last two days I have heard two stories that show this perfectly.
The first story you might be familiar with. You’ll find it in Daniel 3. It centers around three Hebrew young men: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were commanded, along with everyone else in Babylon, to bow down and worship a golden statue when they heard the music play. Anyone who refused to bow would be thrown into a fiery furnace. For these young men, the choice was simple. We read their response in Daniel 3:16-18,
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
They refuse to bow. The king is beyond furious and has the furnace heated seven times hotter. The young men are thrown in. Then something amazing happens. The soldiers who threw them in the furnace were overcome by the heat of the flames and they died. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were kept completely safe. Not a single hair was burned. Not a single mark was left on their bodies. Not even the smell of smoke was found on their clothes. What’s more? When those who were present looked upon the furnace they saw not three, but four figures in the fire. Who was this fourth figure? The king describes him “like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25). Some scholars believe this to be the pre-incarnate Jesus.
The second story was from a phone conversation I had yesterday. I was speaking with a missionary who recently discovered the return of cancer. A scary diagnosis, for sure. But on the other side of the phone I could feel a smile coming across his face as he shared with me the story of a young couple from the Middle East. Their paths crossed several years before and only for a few months. During these few months, they developed a friendship and the gospel was presented clearly to them through many conversations and times studying the Scriptures together. Their time in the States was short lived and they moved back to the Middle East. Until a few months ago when an email was sent from this couple to the missionary. Through a series of events, this couple from the Middle East became followers of Jesus. They were baptized. They even had a Christian wedding ceremony even though they had been married for several years. They are now living elsewhere in Europe and are continuing in the grace they received. The whole point of him sharing this story with me was to say that it was his first cancer diagnosis that ultimately led to their paths being crossed. I’m leaving out a ton of detail, but I believe you’ve read enough to get the point.
Back to the prepositions.
Did God save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fire? - OR - Did God save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire?
Did God bring about a miracle by saving this missionary from cancer? - OR - Did God bring about the salvation of another couple in the diagnosis of cancer?
Notice in both situations God could have intervened before any sort of harm came their way. He could have somehow prevented the fiery furnace ordeal altogether. He could have prevented the cancer from ever entering this man’s body. I’m sure in both situations someone, somewhere was praying for these very things. Yet, He did not work that way.
Isn’t that like God? To work in the pain, in the suffering, and in the trial rather than protecting one of His followers from them?
If such a small word can have such a big impact on the structure of a sentence, imagine how much more of an impact it can have in the lived out experiences of life.
I’m not sure what you have going on in your life right now. You may be experiencing a trial, some sort of pain, or are suffering right now. I pray this brings you encouragement. Let the lives of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and this unnamed missionary bring you a new perspective to your current situation.
In fact, maybe even allow it to change your prayers. Maybe instead of asking to be delivered from your current reality, consider praying for God to do something miraculous in your situation.
The questions is… Are you willing?
