Road Warriors: Daniel—A Message of Holiness - Wednesday
Daniel 1:9
Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel. (NIV)
There is a key thread in Daniel 1 that I want you to see today. It’s easy to read past, but I believe it enlightens the whole chapter when you catch it.
We know the primary characters in the story: Daniel, his friends, King Nebuchadnezzar, and the king’s royal staff. But the author wants us to make sure we don’t forget the chief character in the story: God.
The author actually tells us what God is doing behind the scenes three different times:
Verse 2 - The Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar victory and permitted him to take items from the Temple.
Verse 9 - God caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel.
Verse 17 - God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding, and God gave Daniel his special ability.
Side note: Don’t you wish you had this daily commentary on what God was up to? A narrator over your life revealing how God is at work in everything around you even when you can’t see it?
…okay, back to the thread. This key thread, as you pull on it, leads us straight to the sovereignty of God. Sovereignty is just a five-dollar word that means God is actively involved in His creation at every moment. In Him, all things hold together. In Him, we live and move and have our being. No event falls outside of His providential care.
So when the curtain is pulled back these three times and we see how God is actively involved and caring for Daniel, it should bring us comfort. As Romans 8:28 reminds us, “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
Here’s the promise you can take away: Nothing will happen to me today that has not first passed through the hands of an all-knowing, all-powerful God who loves me and has only what’s best for me. Remind yourself of that truth daily, and let it change your perspective. That’s what Daniel and his friends did, and we are called to trust in the same truth.
Wednesday’s Reflection
Have you staked all your trust on God’s goodness and His sovereignty? As you pray throughout the day today, talk to Him about that. Ask Him to reveal areas in your life where you aren’t trusting Him, and put your faith back in His strong and capable hands.
