Prayer Journal
Tuesday, October 31, 2000
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah had already proven they were men of God. When forced to eat and drink the king's food and wine, they consumed instead vegetables and water for ten days. At the end of that time they were healthier than those who ate the "royal food". Their faith aroused the curiously of the king who called the men to stand before him.
"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." Dan 1:20 As a result, the king added Daniel and his friends to his team of wise men and sent them on their way. However, Daniel's peer group consisted of worldly prognosticators without spiritual wisdom. This worldly bunch didn't see any value in these Hebrews at all, so they ignored them.
One day the king had a dream which the crew of wise men could not answer. They never thought to call Daniel, but it didn't matter. Daniel found out he was sentenced to death for the ignorance of his peers and it wasn't long before Daniel stood before the king. His three Hebrew brothers were interceding in prayer on his behalf while Daniel gave glory to God and told the king the special meaning of his dream.
One would think this would build a loyalty among the peer group, but it did not. As Daniel and his friends were elevated to positions of authority, the rest of the wise men sought a way to take them down. In fact, these young men were tested constantly and give us a good example of "standing alone". The secret to their faith is explained in this message to the king delivered in front of the blazing furnace:
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. Dan 3:17-18
The conclusion? Courage to stand alone does not come from superior faith in anyone's ability but rather in a person's determination to stand on the truth regardless of the consequences. A person who stands alone won't have many friends, but all he needs is One. He was the fourth person seen in the fire that day. Just Thinkin'.. WebServant
(1) Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society
(2) The images used herein were obtained from the Learning Company's ClickArt Christian Graphics Deluxe product, (c)1999 The Learning Company, Inc and its subsidiaries, 88 Roland Way, Novato, CA 94945 USA. All Rights Reserved.
