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Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? – 1 Peter 3:13

 

Daniel and his friends were men of integrity. Captured by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Daniel and three others from Judah’s royal family were ordered to live in the king’s palace for a three-year training period. Early on they resolved not to defile themselves with the royal food and wine offered by the king’s servants (Daniel 1:8). Everything about these young men testified of the good, wholesome will of God in their lives. Then came the time for their testing.

Satan did everything he could to destroy them and their influence with the king. It seemed as though their doom was sealed until Daniel spoke to the captain of the guard with “wisdom and discretion” (2:14). His wise words won him and his friends a stay of execution. Later that night the Lord revealed the king’s disturbing dream to Daniel. As a result, instead of being harmed, Daniel and his friends were promoted!

When you come under persecution, be certain you are pursuing God’s good will with all your heart. He will give you the favor you need with whoever is responsible. “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12).

2020-12-31T10:53:32-07:00

But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live like an animal among the plants of the fields. – Daniel 4:15

The stump in this dream typified King Nebuchadnezzar. His pride had brought him to the point of his becoming obnoxious to God. Indeed, he ruled the entire known world and lived in the most magnificent city in the world. His construction of the hanging gardens of Babylon is still considered one of the eight wonders of the world. However, the time came when God had to humble him.

Nebuchadnezzar may have been king, but God is “Chairman” of the “Ways and Means Committee”! He is in charge, and “he is able to humble those who are proud” (Daniel 4:37). God removed Nebuchadnezzar’s intellect and made him eat grass like a cow for seven years. In His mercy, however, He did not totally destroy him, but left him as a stump, restoring everything to him the moment the trial was over.

You may feel like you have lost everything, but in fact, your stump is still intact. God may have disciplined you, but He still loves you. And when God restores you, it will be with “even greater honor than before” (v. 36).

Cheer up, all you “stumps.” The best is yet to be!

2020-11-27T00:00:00-07:00
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