Thursday 26 May 2022

Pray for a way

  

The following section of scripture in Daniel is about the dream that the King Nebuchadnezzar had. (Daniel 2:1-16).

The king was so disturbed by this dream that he couldn’t quite remember and couldn’t quite forget, that he ordered all sorts of 'wise' people to reveal both the dream and the interpretation. He called; astronomers, astrologers, enchanters -  all those who were considered wise in society. They were called upon to help understand the dream, and reveal the dream, but none could. 

Therefore, in his sleep-deprived, disturbed and aggravated state, Nebuchadnezzar ordered all of the wise men to be slaughtered. Even those who hadn’t been called upon and knew nothing of the situation. 

The first Daniel hears about it is when he is rounded up as one of the wise men to be murdered. Understandably, he asks what is going on. He then, confidently, approaches the king and asks for some time. He lets the king even set the time at which he wants Daniel to appear before him so that he can reveal the dream. That amazes me - the confidence and boldness! The confidence Daniel has that through God, he can do this impossible thing. Even though it has NEVER been done before! Plus the confidence to go in and ask a ruthless king - whom has just ordered his death - for more time! Don’t we all need a bit of that confidence and boldness in our lives?! 

The confidence and boldness of Daniel does not stem from pride, arrogance or self-esteem, it’s roots are in God. Daniel knows God can do something, and he trusts that God will. In reality, Daniel is a dead man walking anyway, so he might as well have a go at solving this thing, and he knows just the thing to do next...

    ...He goes home and prays with his friends. There are no; tearful goodbyes, thoughts of running away,  weeping or wailing. The friends get together, in their home and pray. All of their lives are at risk and they go to the only one who can offer solace or solution in this situation.


Such a simple solution really isn’t it?! 


These young men didn’t do anything else, they got together and they prayed. committing the whole situation to God, there may have been a bit of ranting, crying, confusion, but they didn't get together to have a moan - they got together and prayed. They recognised that coming to God is the only way there will be a solution. They sought God for a way out. They knew the only way that this situation could be transformed was by seeking God for favour, for help, and for their lives. 

In times of trouble, what do you do? 

What is your first response?

When you face impossible situations do you call upon your friends to pray?

Sometimes the only way an issue can change is by God intervening. Next time you face something significant, will you come confidently and boldly to God? Will you call your friends to pray with you in your trials knowing that God can do anything... even things that have never been done before?

As we read on in Daniel, we see that their prayers are answered, they receive the revelation of the dream and it’s meaning - wahoo! Do you notice that their first response again, is to pray?

These young men are a great example of dependence on God. In their desperation and deliverance, they pray. They acknowledge that this life is too hard to do it all by themselves, so they place their entire hope and future was in God’s hands. They celebrate and commiserate in community with one another with God at the centre of it all. is it any wonder that we still read their life story today?!

So, how are you going to handle the next situation that throws you off kilter? 

When you're facing a trial that seems too big for you, it probably is, so who are those you can call upon to pray with you through it and who will celebrate with you at the end of it? 

Wednesday 11 May 2022

Courage in adversity

 

I am intrigued by the young lads that we meet in the first few chapters of Daniel. We meet them as teenage captives, and hear snippets of their experiences as they have become embedded in the court of the Babylonian king. First off we meet them as captive trainees, then see them as graduates from the enforced leadership program, and we watch as they develop into young men entering the kings court as his servants - all in the first couple of chapters!

One of the things I am struck by as I read about Daniel and his friends, is their courage. They, as teenage boys have been through so much, but they seem to know what is worth standing up for. Reading through these passages  it is easy to forget that they are captive Jewish boys. Yet we see boldness in them which is produced by the faith they have in God.

We first see this displayed when Daniel asks the chief of the eunuchs (who is responsible for the captive trainees welfare) if he can be excused from eating the king’s food - He, a captive boy, approaches the chief to make a request, don’t you think that’s a bit cheeky, even presumptuous? 

Then, even when the request is denied, Daniel doesn’t give up. Instead,  he rethinks, reprocesses and tries again. This time he has the courage to ask the steward for he and his friends to have a vegetable only diet for 10 days.  That took courage, he must have been disappointed and a bit scared by the chief’s response, but he did not give up. He continued to pursue his request because he so desired to honour God. This overtook the fear and worry he must have felt. I admire him for standing up in the first place, let alone trying a second time. He did not give up. Sometimes we can, can’t we. Sometimes when we have built ourselves up to do something that terrifies us, and then it doesn’t work out, who then thinks, ‘well, I tried it, didn’t work, I’m done’?! Some of us do. Daniel didn’t. He built himself up again, and thoughtfully considered another way to achieve what he needed.

I have had to conquer fear a lot in my life. Growing up I was know as a ‘worry wart’ and i was told ‘you worry about worrying’. Maybe that’s why I admire Daniel, Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah so much, because they do not hide away from the scary stuff, but they confront the problems and trust that something will happen and that God will help them. I could not imagine myself as a young teenager standing up to any authority, especially not any cruel institution like the Babylonians. 

This isn’t the only instance that we see these four young men show courage either. 

When the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, is outraged with some of the ‘wise’ advisers in his kingdom, (the; enchanters, astrologers, astronomers) he directs his captain to slaughter all of them. This includes the Jewish young men; Daniel, Mishael, Azaraih and Hananiah.  The first they know about it, is that the captain comes along to get Daniel to kill him.  

Daniel responds quickly and bravely. He asks the chief of the kings guard  what is going on and why is it so important that the order is completed right away? He doesn’t stop there either - he is even brave enough to ask to go straight into the king and ask for more time!

Don’t you think that’s a bit outrageous?! Daniel is handed a death sentence and asks to see the king first and to ask for an extension of time! Daniel does not just accept the order, he challenges it.  He stands up and speaks out. How brave is that?! When others would have been terrified and confused about what is happening, Daniel is gifted with courage and wisdom in his response. As a result of his courage to ask and put himself forward, he saved the lives of himself and his friends as they trusted in God to solve the problem. 

These examples may seem extreme. Many of us are not captives or threatened with murder, but that does not mean that we cannot learn from the faith of these lads. Surely we can learn a lot. None of us are likely to experience the trials they faced, and yet, how many times have you or I given into fear rather than stand up for what we know is right, even if it could cost us? 

We could pay the cost of losing favour, losing friends, even losing a job. These young men could have lost their lives. But, as Jesus says, ‘Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.’ (Luke 17:33). 

Daniel, Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah did not value their own lives more that following God. They were prepared to lose their lives in order to continue honouring him. Another great example of this is when they were headed to the fiery furnace; 

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah) replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. *17*If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[] from Your Majesty’s hand. *18*But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-20

These men were more concerned about worshipping their God than anything else, that is evident, even when they had no clue about what was going to happen. They all stood up and stood out when others didn’t. They displayed great courage because they knew their God was greater than their circumstances. They didn’t know what was coming or how these situations would pan out, but they stepped out anyway. 

Are you willing and prepared to step out in faith, boldly standing up for what you know is right in the face of adversity? Is there some area that you can begin trusting God in where you need courage? Ask God to help you, and trust that He will.