Monday Morning Encouragement -- God's Faithfulness to Daniel

 

"To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter.” Daniel 2:23

The life of Daniel is a testimony to his faithfulness to God. But more importantly, it is a testimony to God's faithfulness to Daniel. Not once did God fail Daniel. It was the Lord who gave Daniel the gift of interpreting dreams, and Daniel was very much aware of that fact. When he was asked to interpret the king's dream, he sought the Lord for the answer. And when God gave him the answer and he in turn gave it to the king, Daniel glorified God by giving Him the credit for the interpretation. 

Daniel humbled himself and prayed earnestly and often. As a young man under Babylonian captivity, he refused to compromise his relationship with God. He did not give in to the sinful culture around him, even under extreme pressure. Instead, he entrusted his life to God and walked in obedience to Him. The threat of being eaten by lions didn't stop him either. He trusted in God, and God delivered him.

Three times in the Book of Daniel we find the angel Gabriel telling Daniel that he is greatly loved by God:

“At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved” (Dan. 9:23)

“O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you” (Dan. 10:11)

“And he said, ‘O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage” (Dan. 10:19).

What an encouragement this must have been to Daniel! To hear directly from one of God's messengers that he was "greatly loved."

There is much we can learn from Daniel's life. I've barely scratched the surface. Yet, here's a bit of what I know about Daniel's relationship with God:

God called Daniel and equipped him for service.

Daniel was a man of prayer and God honored his prayers.

Daniel was dependent upon God for everything and God provided.

Daniel was obedient to God and God rewarded him.

Daniel humbled himself and gave God the glory.

God encouraged Daniel and assured him of His love.

All of these truths encourage me in my own relationship with God, and they should encourage you, too. They testify to God's faithfulness, and inspire us to obey and trust Him. As far as being assured of His love, we may never be visited by Gabriel with a pronouncement of God's love, and we don't need one to be certain of it. We have a Savior who loves us so much that He gave His very life for us while we were yet sinners. (Romans 5:8)

If you like, share what you have learned from Daniel's life in the comments.

Today's music video God Is Faithful (Psalm 114) by Sovereign Grace is a reminder that God is faithful to His own.

I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.