DANIEL 1:18-21 WHAT WILL GOD DO THROUGH YOU?

Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
 
¹⁸ At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. ²⁰ In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. ²¹ And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

God works out his purpose in the history of the world. Even when he chastises his people, he continues to creatively work his will under the new circumstances. God’s ultimate will cannot be thwarted, but it can become infinitely more difficult for his people to fulfill because of their disobedience. Daniel is blessed, but he and his people will remain in exile during the dynasties of the Babylonian and Median empires.

Blessed be our God who is the God of redemption! We are not dependent upon the Fates or have our destinies determined by impersonal evolutionary processes. We are dependent upon God, who is ever creative and loving. But he is also a just God and will not remove the consequences of our misbehavior. Rather, true to his nature, he will enter the resulting circumstances with us and provide us with the guidance necessary to return to him. In spite of the mischief of his people, God uses them as the leaven for the kingdom in the world, whether that world is the Babylonian Empire, the Roman Empire or the secular and godless empires of today.

Wherever we find ourselves and for whatever reasons, we are in a position to make a difference for the kingdom. God through the Holy Spirit is still and always will be about the work of transformation. Regardless of the circumstances under which we exist, God will use us if we commit ourselves to him.

What we see in Daniel is only a glorious example of what we are to do. The original God-given role of humankind was to till the Garden (Genesis 2:15). And even after the fall, the curse only made that activity much more difficult (Genesis 3:17-19). We are responsible for soil preparation. Through our obedience to God’s will and commitment to his way, we prepare the soil for the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Conversion of individuals and transformations of nations are realized through sovereign acts of the Spirit. Our role is to create an environment in which there can be a receptivity to God’s Spirit. As St. Paul told the church in Corinth, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Lord God, may all I do serve to prosper your kingdom. I commit my will to your way and seek to reveal to the world around me the wonder of your majestic love by living in conscious obedience to your will, no matter the circumstances of my life or the location in which I live. Amen.

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