The Daniel Decision
Hope is hard sometimes.
These are challenging times that we find ourselves in, and every day we wake to see that more has happened in the world, in our country, and sometimes even in our family. Uncertainty seems to loom and reign stronger every day, and for many people, the future is in such question that a genuine spirit of fear has begun to affect everyone, including those in the church.
As leaders, we are seeing families greatly affected by COVID-19 and the Delta Variant, arguments over vaccinations, radically shifting political ideas and ideologies, governments and countries at war, and so many other realities that are causing a great deal of fear to rule and reign in our midst.
A growing news media and social communication network that churns out millions of words a minute and all of it tinged with fear and doubt and yet remains encrusted with a false sense of security that “we are all in this together.” We are watching it, and frankly, it makes us tired and weary just to keep going. What are we going to do?
I believe that the answer is to “Make the Daniel Decision.”
The Daniel Decision
Consider Daniel’s scenario. A man of Jewish heritage who finds himself working for the government is on the brink of passing legislation that will immensely impact him. He must have had many thoughts run through his mind and worked through an intense number of emotions as he knew that Nebuchadnezzar would sign a decree that all should bow to him, forsaking any other gods and authorities, even the God of Abraham. It must have been emotionally challenging for Daniel, and it must have created a lot of anxiety for him as he worked in the world but knew that his heart was after pleasing God.
But Daniel had established a pattern that, in the most challenging times, he could lean on. In Daniel 1:8 (NASB), it says,
“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank….”
Daniel made up his mind early on that he would separate himself for service to God. So when the decree came down from Darius following the reign of Nebuchadnezzar that all men should worship this new king, Daniel, in this same spirit, leaned on his earlier decision.
“Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open towards Jerusalem; and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks to God, as he had done previously” (Daniel 6:10 NASB).
Daniel just kept doing what he had already decided that he was going to do: trust God and obey Him regardless of what happens.
Daniel realized that he did not have a problem to solve but a decision to make.
Making and Modeling the Daniel Decision
This is a time for us as leaders to practice this kind of holy determination and help others. Though the world's end is upon us, God is still in control of it all. We can never lose sight of the reality that God knows exactly where we are and what He needs us to do. He has called us to love Him and love others, and as life group leaders, that is what we can continue to do regardless of the cultural, political, and spiritual climates that we find ourselves in.
We can set aside all the world's noise and focus on loving God and our neighbors. But to do this, we must decide to serve and trust God no matter what, and then practice fervently being with God and loving others as Christ would love them.
CS. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” May we always remember that it is never lonely to be with God, for in Him, everything exists (John 1).
