Not a day goes by when our plans aren’t changed by circumstances beyond our control.
Man-made disasters like Covid-19, war, natural disasters, relationship difficulties, car trouble, unexpected illness in family friends or neighbours, traffic jams, – the list goes on.
We see the same in Daniel’s life – taken from his homeland at a young age, forced to live in a difficult culture very different from what he had grown up with, expected to eat the king’s food which was defiled, worship a huge idol, thrown into a fiery furnace…. He didn’t grumble, instead he trusted the God He knew, a God he had developed a close relationship with despite his circumstances. God was His source rather than the world or the circumstance around Him. As Hudson Taylor says: “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.”
The next time you find yourself in challenging circumstances unexpectedly, trust by faith that God is in it and that the change is for a good reason (Romans 8:26).
Daniel, when faced with unexpected and frightening circumstances, didn’t panic, rather he showed patience in going to God first. As John Calvin stated: “Hope is the foundation of patience.”
Jesus wants us as Christians to be strong in Him and go tell the world that it will be alright if they can just trust and depend on Him. However, we must practice what we believe and share.
Each day we will often face circumstances beyond our control. Starting the day without Christ is like jumping into a dark, unknown patch of the future. But with our Lord, it’s like taking a step with the One who holds the future. Because He holds the future we can totally trust His outcomes and rest in His arms no matter what we may be facing. This should give us great calm, great shalom and joy. As C.S. Lewis says: “Each day we are becoming a creature of splendid glory or one of unthinkable horror.”
We live in a world of wildernesses, and sometimes we begin to think they are normal. However, when we align our hearts with God we find that there is a Promised Land. As we see in the life of Daniel, it didn’t come without a journey, but it will come.
Like Daniel we see God does promise to be our source: the wellspring that makes the garden of our life flourish, the nourishment we need in any season. However, as a Christian leader His watering must first come in you; then it will come through you into the lives of others.
As Daniel clearly exhibited: When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold
(Job 23:10).
Ray Dallin