Adventurous Living - The Meadow Springs Community Church Podcast

"For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction." Psalm 1:6

Do you know which path you're on?

Daniel has seen some incredible things - some at the hands of men and some by the hand of God. He knows the people are wretched and lost in their sin and wickedness. Even so, what does Daniel do? He pleads to the LORD on their behalf even though he knows they don't deserve help because Daniel knows the LORD is merciful. What happens next is God's emphatic, "I got this."

The book of Daniel has traveled an interesting and mysterious path, and we have been along for the ride. Beasts and blessings, idols and images and things that prove even stranger than the ones before. What's it all mean?

The Bible is full of weird and wonderful things… strange visions, miraculous occurrences and all manner of creatures that defy human imagination. Really, the book of Daniel could be AKA "Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them." It all makes for a good story, but what do these things have to do with our present, day-to-day faith journey?

"O God, I praise your word. I put my trust in you. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? " v. 3-4

"For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light." v. 13

What can man do to me? Turns out, man can do quite a lot. Even so, what a comforting set of book ends for us as we live during this time and place in history.

It seems the key characters in the book of Daniel are having groundhog's day experiences. Over and over, bad stuff leads to faith and surrender that leads to blessing, leading then to a king's inflated ego and then different bad stuff happens because of pride and sin. This time, it gets a little more personal. "What have I done," wonders the king. Well, he's about to find out.

What transpired during the years King Nebuchadnezzar was 'absent' had transformed him, but what about the new king? Would this guy be a student of history or would he take the familiar road to idolatry, power seeking and personal glory? Any guesses?

Is the king on the right track now? He certainly heaps praise and honor upon God. But again, the king falls back into the 'look at the cool stuff I've done in my kingdom' mentality and through another dream, Daniel explains to him what will happen if he does not turn away from his sin. Maybe the king only learns the hard way.

Daniel has risen in the ranks, but things go sideways in a hurry. King Nebuchadnezaar had become a little too enamored with himself and jumps the shark… "bow down to the statue, and serve my gods - everyone - or die in a blazing furnace." That was definitely a 'dark valley of death', but unwaveringly, they declined to worship the idol. Their God, whom they knew intimately and trusted fully, would save them, whether in life or death.

Remember who you are… an important admonition for Daniel as he follows God in the midst of serious opposition. Daniel continues to pursue a life of faithfulness and trusts in God's promises even though it got hard… really hard. How can we follow Daniel's example and look forward - truly 'wait for it' - as we live life in a culture that is hostile to believers in Jesus?