Daniel.
God told me to read the book of Daniel when I was in Thailand. So I did. I have heard about Daniel, read his "story," and knew every event that happened to him that was recorded in the Bible. But when I read through the book again, the character of Daniel jumped off the page. He was such a man of God. He had faith, love, dedication, leadership, guts, bravery, endurance, and much more very admirable qualities. Daniel is a man I could learn from.
Here is a little information about Daniel:
The war was hard and long, Jerusalem was ravaged and the young men were taken captive. The men who were strong, and decent in appearance were brought to the kings palace to learn how to serve the king. Daniel and his three buddies were part of those good looking guys brought from their homes to serve this enemy. When the man placed in charge of them told these young men what they were going to eat in order to get stronger and healthy for the king, Daniel and his buds refused and ask permission to have a much cheaper meal plan. They struck a deal, because the man in charge did not want to die due to this change and potential weight loss on the part of Daniel and his buds. Turns out, when you honour your God, he will bless you. They grew in strength much faster that the Jews who forgot their law and gave into the Kings meal plan.
So, Daniel, being a man of God and full of faith trusted in God with his life and everything else. When the king had a dream that he wanted his wise guys to interpret, but he refused to tell them the dream. The king was about to kill all his wise advisors, when Daniel came up out of the woodwork, and told executer that he would interpret the dream. And he did. Daniel asked God to give him the dream he had given the king and the interpretation of that dream. God gave it to him. Daniel was promoted to be a wise guy too.
Next we have the King and all his man made glory. He wanted to be so loved by his people that he created a gold image of himself and ordered his people to worship him… or die. Now, I don't know where Daniel was on this day, but he must have been out of town because this day it was only his buddies that withstood the king and is fury. They refused to worship anyone or anything but their God. The king through them is a furnace that was so hot it killed the men that put the three buddies in, yet the three of them remained untouched by even the smell of smoke. And angel of The Lord had come to protect them. They didn't care whether they lived or died, they were not defiling their God.
Then there is the whole writing on the wall thing. The drunken party king and his total desecration of God. Using the cups and things from the Jewish temple, God warns him again. But Daniel comes in and interprets the writing on the wall. It was not good news for the king.
Then, what everyone thinks of when they hear the name daniel. The lions den. The other wise guys were getting sick and tired of Daniel and his God doing all this things that they couldn't do. Daniel getting all those promotions, being loved by the king and favoured by him. They decided to find a fault with Daniel and get him killed… the problem was, Daniel was a good man, a Godly man. The only thing they could think of was to convince the king to have the people only worship him, and no other Gods. These wise guys knew that Daniel would not deny his God. They knew that Daniel prayed regularly to his God and that is where he found his wisdom. The king, went for it. And when Daniel was accused, it broke his heart, but he did what he had to do. He fed Daniel to the starving lions and wished and hoped that his God would save him. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, he waited impatiently for dawn. First thing in the morning he went to the place of the lions and called to Daniel. Daniel responded. God had saved his faithful one once again.
Seriously, who wouldn't want to be like this guy?!?!
As I entered into Malaysia, I knew that we would be heading into a mostly Islamic country. A foreign place where my God is forbidden. I could not tell about my love of Christ to muslims without getting arrested. The song "If loving God were a crime, I'd be an outlaw," kept playing on my ipod (which was on random, and it hasn't played in years). I thought about Daniel. Even though the King made a law forbidding the worship of any other god, Daniel remained firm in praying to HIS God everyday, three times a day, right where everyone could see. Daniel was not phased by a man made law. He knew and loved HIS God, and nothing would stop him from spending time with Him. I want to be like that. I want to have the faith so strong, that when brought into a foreign country, into the kings palace, I will stand and eat only what God has allowed me to eat. A faith so strong that even when face to face with a starving lion, I have no fear, for MY God is with me. A faith so strong that I will have confidence in even what I do not know, having full faith that God will fill me in when the time comes. Who wouldn't want to live like that? With the full assurance of Christ. Having full faith in the man who already gave His life for me to live.
Recently it was spoken over me that I would be like Daniel and Joseph. Given dreams from God and given the ability to interpret them through God's guidance. So cool! Both men were very Godly men of God who trusted Him with everything they had. Life was not easy for them, both slaves, taken from their homeland. But they had peace and rest in the knowledge and wisdom given to them from God. They trusted God, so God trusted them.
I want that. To be trusted by the Most High God, with whatever assignment He may have for me. To be brave enough to go for it, even if that means death. He died for me, I give my life to him. I will die for Him if I need to too.
