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Never underestimate God’s ability to see and save.

I cannot speak for you, but my thoughts and my prayers for myself have been centered around a desire to stand firm – deeply rooted in the Word of God – even if it means that I am standing alone. I have been asking God for the courage to speak and depend on His truth – even if it means that I will be mistreated, misunderstood, and even persecuted. I don’t want to compromise. I don’t want to embrace and therefore endorse false teachings.

I’ll admit, while this is my heart’s desire, I am likely only in the beginning phases of having to make this kind of stand for my faith. I know that apart from God’s help, I don’t stand a chance.

In a somewhat typical way, God reveals himself and speaks through his word to encourage us, guide us, and provide us with truth. Therefore, it was not a great surprise for me this morning when God encouraged me through the second chapter of Daniel.

Israel had fallen. Why? The leaders of Israel – both kings and priests – had led the people away from God and his commands and led them into the very things that God had told them not to do. They were involved in idol worship. Child sacrifice. They abandoned the God who had revealed himself through the miraculous time and again. They embraced sin and the cultures around them.

God sent his people prophets to remind them of who they were and the covenant that they had entered into with God. He warned them. Still they remained in a way of life that was in direct conflict with God’s law. And so God sent a mighty army from Babylon and used a pagan king to destroy his holy city and decimate his people.

A remnant remained. God would not break his promise even though his people had broken theirs.

There were in Babylon four men of noble lineage who were indoctrinated with Babylonian literature and teaching for three years. They were men who stood out and impressed the King Nebuchadnezzar and his advisors. These men knew and feared the LORD. Even though they were entrenched in this pagan culture, they demonstrated a desire to remain faithful and obedient to God. I believe that it was because of this desire that “God gave these four men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meaning of dreams.” (Daniel 1:17)

The second chapter of Daniel begins a pattern of courage and demonstrates what comes from being in an intimate relationship with God looks like.

King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. He demands that his wise men not only interpret the dream – but he refuses to tell them what he dreamt. If his wise men cannot tell him the dream and it’s meaning – they will all die. The kings demand was impossible. “No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.” (Daniel 2:11) This is true – gods do not live here among people – but God is not a god. He is THE GOD.

Daniel demonstrates so beautifully what we should do in the midst of crisis and persecution. Daniel learns of the king’s demand and asks the king for a bit more time. He then goes home, tells his friends – also believers – and “urges them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret.” (Daniel 2:17) God hears their prayers. God not only hears, but answers them by revealing the secret to Daniel in a vision.

Daniel did not take the credit for this knowledge. Daniel did not make this about him. He directed the king to the One true God. He starts off by saying, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you what your dream…” “He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.” (Daniel 2:27-30)

Daniel’s life and the lives of many others was saved because of the way Daniel handled the situation. Make no mistake – Daniel would not have been able to stand before the king without God’s help. Daniel would not have knowledge of the dream were it not for God’s provision of it. Daniel isn’t given a one and done opportunity to stand on God’s truth in the midst of persecution, either. There is more to come… like facing the lions.

We are given the Word, do we not believe it? We are given the gift of relationship, why would we reject it? We are given truth, why would we twist or ignore it?

Are we willing to be obedient? Are we investing into a relationship with the King of kings? Are we planting our feet upon the solid foundation that is available to us in the Word, or on the shifting sands of cultural truth? Are we going to God in prayer and seeking help from Him, or are we trying to manage everything on our own? Are we surrounding ourselves with others who are likewise grounded in God’s Word – or with others who will not seek the counsel of God with us? Are we taking everything we are being taught and comparing it with the Word of God?

Friends, perhaps it’s time to revisit the book of Daniel and learn from his example.

Blessings.