One of my favorite Scripture stories is that of Daniel - whose Hebrew name means "God is my Judge." Most likely from a family of prominence in Judah, he was swept up in the first Assyrian invasion and taken to become a slave in the Babylonian empire. Despite these miserable circumstances, terrible disadvantages, and having every reason to become a bitter victim, this man was a person of excellence in all he did. Near the end of his life, the Queen Mother in Babylon, speaking to her grandson who is desperate for good counsel, sums up Daniel's resume with these words - There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom as though he himself were a god. ... This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has a sharp mind and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.” (Daniel 5:11-12, NLT)
Remember that assessment was not at the beginning of his life based on hopes and promises - it was near the end after a track record of success, faithfulness, and excellence in both his spiritual life and his service to the government who had stolen him from his homeland! I wonder how Daniel's life might have been different in our victim culture where every difficult experience is a reason to be coddled, where a tough childhood is so often seized upon as an excuse for mediocrity, where the remedy for disadvantage is a new set of rights under the law?
To borrow the old cliché, Daniel took life's lemons and made lemonade! There is no record that he moped, sulked, or became embittered at the developments that changed his life forever around age 12. From the first chapter of his story, we see a man who chose to be full of faith, who had the courage of his convictions, and who had the North star of his faith in God to guide him, even in a land where he was an alien. Being taken a slave was just the first in a series of wrongs done to this man. He was frequently accused unjustly. He dealt with palace politics and the envious hacks around him used his integrity against him, even making a law behind his back that got him thrown into the lion's den for praying to his God!
I want to be a Daniel, for God's sake. When I'm at the end of my life, I want those who have worked along side of me to see a record of excellence, of courage, of taking tough situations, disappointments, and injustice in stride and accepting those moments as readily as the ones when success crowned the day. And, I know that such achievement rests on the same secret recipe that made Daniel what he was -- "He has within him the spirit of the holy gods." You and I know that we must be filled with the Spirit of God, overflowing with His Life, and fruitful because of Him.
The same man who helped pen the famous hymn, "It is Well With My Soul," wrote a lesser known song. See the lyrics below, and I hope it expresses your aspiration, even as it is mine.
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Dare to be a Daniel,
All hail to Daniel's band!
Many mighty men are lost,
Daring not to stand,
Who for God had been a host
By joining Daniel's band!
Many giants great and tall,
Stalking thru the land,
Headlong to the earth would fall,
If met by Daniel's band!
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known!
Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God's command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
Hold the gospel banner high!
On to vict'ry grand!
Satan and his host defy,
And shout for Daniel's band!
© Public Domain CCLI License No. 810055
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