Daniel 5:13 (NKJV) 13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
As was the case in Joseph’s life, Daniel’s exile was also lengthy.
He was brought to Babylon as a young man and stayed faithful in the service of king Nebuchadnezzar until that king died.
The subsequent king, Belshazzar, took the throne as Babylon’s new king, and Daniel remained in Babylon.
There came a time when king Belshazzar was hosting a great feast. And as part of the celebrations, he had his servants bring out the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of God when Babylon defeated Israel under king Nebuchadnezzar.
As the king and his guests drank from the vessels, a hand appeared and wrote on the wall words that could not be read or interpreted by anyone in the palace.
The inability of the king’s servants to interpret the writing caused the king to grow frustrated.
His wife recalled Daniel and his ability to interpret dreams and speak with wisdom. So, the king had Daniel brought in to interpret the writing.
This put Daniel in an unenviable position, as the writing spoke words about the king that were highly unfavorable.
But Daniel spoke truth as given to him by God’s spirit, and the king honored him for it, placing a gold chain around his neck and making him “the third ruler in the kingdom” of Babylon.
As with Joseph, Daniel could have spent his days lamenting his situation. He could have rebelled against his captors. He could have abandoned God. But he did not.
Again, this is a monumental example for us to learn from, showing us that adversity has the potential to make us someone we never expected to be, using those situations to allow us to grow instead of running or resisting what God brings to us.
You may wonder why we have spent five consecutive days teaching about adverse situations and difficult seasons.
We are living in dark times. Evil is running rampant on a global scale. We are witnessing things that we never thought we would live to see.
It will impact every one of us in some way.
These are times that require strength and great discernment. They require choices to be made by each of us as to how we will respond to the things we are facing.
This requires us to be prepared.
A soldier is never sent into battle without training. A student is never administered a test without being given the proper time and knowledge to prepare. A warrior is never told to fight without that warrior having the strength and stamina to fight victoriously.
And so should each of us be properly prepared, learning how to recognize our enemy, stand strong in battle as led by the Holy Spirit, and responding to adversity based on what God shows us to do.
We pray that God will take these examples and ingrain them in each of us, giving us great understanding, discernment and power in the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443
401-439-3780
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