God rules! That is the big message of the book of Daniel. Daniel and his friend serve great kings in the worlds eyes, great empires in the worlds eyes and yet Daniel outlasts them all. Why? Because he is not some flunky who attached himself to a king or a court and sought to gain favour. But Daniel serves the God who he knows rules the world, who hold history in his hands.
As I've been studying Daniel I find that an amazing challenge. I know in my head that is what the Bible teaches and that it is true. But what about in the way I live, does that show? Daniel can live as he does, living for God, in an alien pressured and pagan environment because he knows that truth as more than just a theological truth but as a living breathing reality.
It means he can stand for God when under threat, when facing persecution because God is sovereign and Daniel can put his trust in his God for the outcome.
But Daniel also gives us a view of the world that we need, it is found in the apocalyptic visions in the second half of the book and it is a reminder that we sometimes limit our living to the world pulled over our eyes to blind us. When in reality we as the people of God are engaged in a spiritual battle and therefore need spiritual weapons.
My prayer is that these two truths inform my mind and heart and transform my service of God while he continues to give me breath.
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