How’s Your Faith?
I have been reading through the book of Daniel again and am amazed at the faith of this man. Daniel and some others were taken from their homeland by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. This happened in three deportations. Daniel was in the first group that went to Babylon, and he would rise to a position of power because he remained faithful to God.
His faith is first seen in chapter one when he and his three friends refuse to eat food that was unclean to them. By refusing this, they were given a 10 day trial, and if they faired well after this, they would be allowed to continue eating the foods that were clean to them. At the end of the 10 days, they were doing well and even better than those who were partaking of the king’s choice food. (Daniel 1:8-17)
Can you imagine a young man being separated from his home, going to a place that he did not want to go to and perhaps not speak the language, doing this? He could have cowered and given in, but his faith in the one true God was so strong that he could not defy his conscience.
Later in his life, we see Daniel in another faith-testing situation. The Babylonians have been replaced by the Medo-Persian empire, and Darius is now the king. Daniel has risen to power in the land of Babylon, and there is jealousy from the other Babylonians. They come up with a plan to get rid of Daniel. We read in Daniel 6:6-9 of the plan that anyone who bows to anyone other than Darius, they will be put in a lion’s den.
When Daniel knows the decree has been signed, he goes to pray to his God with the window open. They are watching for him and report this to the king. He has to be thrown into the lion’s den, even though Darius does not want to do it. The outcome was that Lord closed the lion’s mouths, and the next day Daniel was taken out safely. However, the men who came up with this plan were fed to the lions with their families.
Daniel did not have to pray to God when the decree was signed. He did not have to open his windows, but he did. All through this book we see the faith of a man who knew the importance of serving God. He passed the test.
So, let me ask you as you read through these lines, how’s your faith? Are you trusting in the one God who made heaven and earth and who continues to rule, or have you given in to your weaknesses? Let’s both of us today determine that our faith will be strong like the great man Daniel. Let’s not let anyone deter us from following Him and His ways. When we do, we, too, will be blessed as was