DANIEL - A MAN WHO DIDN'T TRUST HIMSELF
12th Nov 2014
Daniel trusted the God who he had come to know as the all powerful Ruler of the Kingdoms of the earth. Daniel came from a privileged background, was well educated, good looking and liked to acquire knowledge. He was an Israelite taken into captivity, but was hand picked to serve the king of Babylon.
During his training period he was required to eat food which would have been offered to idols, and for Daniel he saw this as wrong and an affront to God. I am sure he understood the consequences of refusing the royal food, and I’m sure he prayed for wisdom.
Read the full story in Daniel chapter 1, and you will notice the compromise he offered, together with his three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, “Try us out on a simple diet for 10 days and make your decision on the basis of what you see.” As the time came to an end they were better looking and more robust than all the other trainees, and were exempted from the King’s defiling food. This was an issue of conscience and an opportunity to trust God’s ability and care.
Later he was called to interpret a disturbing dream which Nebuchadnezzar refused to divulge. (Daniel 2) They, together with the other wise men were threatened with death if they failed to reveal and interpret the dream. What would Daniel and his friends do? They went to God in prayer, and in the middle of the night received both dream and interpretation, which saved their lives and brought them honour and prestige.
A friend’s house was threatened with severe flooding, the river was rising, the rain was falling. She asked God for wisdom and felt God prompt her to pray that the temperature would drop and the rain would turn to snow. Her prayer was answered, a carpet of snow appeared on her lawn, the river level dropped and her house was saved. God had given the wisdom; she later declared “I would have never have thought of this!”
Jesus is the source of all wisdom. I don’t want to trust myself or any man when I have access to the wisdom of heaven.
by Joyce Sibthorpe
