Daniel: A Man of Prayer and ActionSample

What can we learn by studying Daniel? There are so many layers to be found within the pages of this specific book. It’s a chronicle of young people being brought as prisoners of war from their home country into a foreign place with foreign food, foreign customs, and foreign gods. It details one man’s dedication to his faith and the laws of his forefathers. It is the story of best friends who are set up with favor but remain lonely outsiders. It is a book of prophecy.

So let’s get started!

In Chapter One, King Nebuchadnezzar was taking Jerusalem’s elite into captivity. This collection of the brightest and the best included Daniel. We know that he had God’s favor upon him, as shown in Daniel 1:9: “Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel . . .”

Daniel had God’s favor, and through that, God moved others within the king’s court to give him favor as well. Now here is something that I’m just learning about favor. We are God’s kids; He adores us. We do NOT have to beg Him for favor, but He loves us to ask for what we need and even what we want in faith. This insight floors me because I thought that I needed to set it up courtroom style and go point-by-point to prove my case in the Throne Room. You are, just as I am, a child of God. You don’t have to beg your Heavenly Daddy for His favor; you’ve already got it.

But it shows an ongoing life to honor God and to steward what Daniel was given—his health, his intellect, his very life.

There are three other notable Israelites who share this space with Daniel. You may know them as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In actuality, these names were bestowed upon these well-known heroes by none other than King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Their Jewish names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Daniel’s Babylonian name is Belteshazzar. In this time and culture, BEL was used to honor the Baal’s—the fake gods with a little “g.” However, these four men had faith in God with a capital “G.” This faith is displayed when Daniel requests to eat only vegetables and water because the animals served on the royal table had been sacrificed to the Babylonian gods. These four faith-filled men were loath to eat the remains of sacrifices to a foreign god.

God has given us many incredible parallels between Daniel’s choices and faith as compared to our own. We are Christ-followers living in a world, a culture, and a time that is not embracing or accepting of our faith. We are set apart, and that can feel lonely.

If you are like me, that lonely feeling has been exacerbated recently. However, if you can find a community that is like-minded and like-hearted, do so, and remember the God of heaven is ready and willing to go deeper in relationship with you.

Another point to remember is that you have God’s favor. This is mind-blowing to me because I’ve spent much of my faith life, believing that I had to beg for God’s favor. Maybe you’ve felt that way too. No matter what your backstory, you are God’s beloved child!

Maybe your life began in less-than-ideal circumstances. Or perhaps you have walked a super hard road due to other people’s choices or your own decisions. No matter where you’ve been or where you are right now, hold on to the truth that you truly are a child of God and are entitled to all the benefits of heaven—even and especially—your daddy’s favor!