I think the life of Daniel is so inspiring. He faced extreme obstacles — many were even life or death, and yet his faith stood strong. He would not bow down to the gods of the culture around him. He continued to worship the one, true living God.
And what was God’s response?
He protected Daniel, gave him favor, even elevated him to some of the highest ranking positions of the kingdom.
And do you know what else God did?
He used Daniel’s faithfulness to bring faith to others.
God’s glory was on display through Daniel because he trusted the Lord with his whole heart.
He had many opportunities to compromise his commitment to God in order to save his life.
And honestly, life would have been a lot easier for him if he just lived like everyone else was living.
But he didn’t.
He knew who God was. He knew the power of God. He knew the character of God. And he trusted that whatever God had in store for his life was the best thing for him.
What about us today? Where is your faith in the Lord? Are you trusting Him? Following Him? Committing every decision to Him?
God says in Proverbs 3:5-6 that when we trust Him with our whole heart and acknowledge him in everything we do, He will show us where to go.
Every choice we make either brings glory to God or glory to self. There is no in between.
Every choice we make either brings glory to God or glory to self. There is no in between.
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We can take the wide path and live like the world is living — it’s not a big deal right? Everyone else is doing it. Everyone else is watching it. Reading it. Listening to it. Laughing at it.
But what if there was another path? Something greater? Something a little harder. Something more… narrow?
Perhaps the life lived around us isn’t real life at all, but a mirage.
Perhaps true life is found in the small, unnoticed acts of obedience to the Creator of all things.
Perhaps life is experienced in the ‘no’ to flesh and ‘yes’ to what we know to be good, true, and right.
Perhaps real life is found in the trust of the One who made the stars and the moon.
Perhaps real life is found in nail-shaped holes and an empty tomb.
We serve a God who can do anything. Look what He did with the life of Daniel. An ordinary man that the Lord used in extraordinary ways, thousands of years ago — one act of faith, trust, and obedience at a time.
And we’re still talking about it today.
Ashlyn Lanni 