Have you remained faithful and true to God in spite of the troubles you’re going through? Is it an easy thing to do?
The Book of Daniel is one of my favourite books of the Bible because of its account of the four friends, who despite being taken captive by an enemy king, remained faithful to God.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his army besieged Jerusalem and ‘he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.’ (2 Kings 24:14 NKJV)
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among those ‘young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand’ (Daniel 1:4 NKJV)
A little history lesson
To fully understand how and why Daniel and his friends became captives in Babylon, we have to go back to what the kings of Israel and Judah did during their reigns, in particular, Manasseh, whom the Bible says, ‘provoked God.
Read these verses for context
How do you remain faithful when your life is turning upside down?
It’s easy for people, who aren’t going through what you’re going through, to tell you to just pray to God, pray harder, fast and pray, things will work out, God is faithful and so on and on. And you know that those are all true, but it sometimes doesn’t seem enough, or it feels and looks like nothing is happening in your circumstances, in fact, it’s getting worse.
God tests and grows our faith and commitment in different ways. For some, job losses, death of loved ones, poverty, divorce, and for others it might be outright persecution for being a Christian, or for being a certain ethnicity. These are what we like to call ‘the Devil’s work. But, we forget that the Devil, no matter how powerful some people (usually his most outspoken and sadly deluded worshippers) say he is, still has to wait for God’s authorisation to act, especially when it comes to us believers and followers of Yeshua Hamashiach.
Daniel and his friends knew this. Perhaps they heard or read about what happened to Job and trusted God enough to know that no matter what He would never allow anything to happen to them without also providing a way through.
It might be easy for us who have never been taken captives or our home and countries have never been besieged by an enemy king like Daniel and his friends, we’ve never been taken hostage like those in Israel who were taken hostage by Hamas, or been persecuted like other Christians in some parts of the world, or even killed for our faith in Yeshua Hamashiach, like what’s happening in Nigeria and Mozambique, to say just remember Daniel and his friends. Do what they did. I think there is a valuable lesson we can learn right from the first chapter of Daniel on we can remain faithful and steadfast in the midst of trouble and tragedy.
Purpose in your heart to remain faithful to God
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested with the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Daniel 1:8
That’s the key. Daniel decided that even with something as seemingly small as what he ate and drank he would still follow the dietary requirements God set through Moses and Aaron. Read Leviticus 11.
Daniel knew that if he remained faithful in the small things, God would trust him with big things, with bigger assignments. Some of us still eat and drink things we know are bad for us (I know a diabetic who eats sweets and fizzy drinks like coke despite her doctor’s warnings). God did trust Daniel with huge tasks, of helping to clarify God’s plan to Nebuchadnezzar and his successors.
The point is that Daniel, Hananiah, Michael, and Azariah already believed in God before they were taken captive. Their new and desperate circumstances didn’t make them doubt God’s power, no, they remained resolute in their faith in God despite their captivity.
If you already believe God when things are going well with you, then your faith must increase when times are bad because you know, that God is, and always will be, in full and complete control.
Keep those who are also going through hard times, and even harder times than you in your prayers. Pray that God keeps them faithful, and provides a way through their present troubles.
May the Grace of God be with you always!
Featured image http://www.plinia.net/wonders/gardens/hgpix1.html, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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