Trusting God's Plan in the Fire: Lessons From the Book of DanielSampl

It’s time to put yourself in the shoes of our young heroes Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Imagine as a young person, your hometown is attacked by foreign invaders. Everything you know gets burned and destroyed. If you have the good fortune of surviving the attack, you are taken prisoner and hauled off thousands of miles through treacherous desert wastelands to a foreign country where you don’t know the language or customs. The enemy obviously didn’t kill you, but what will they do to you now? Will you ever be free? Where is God in all of this and why did He allow this to happen?

We have no idea how long it took them to arrive in Babylon nor if any of their family was alive. However, there are a few clues in the passage we can glean about them.

"Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians."

Daniel 1: 3 - 4

These young men were not average teenagers. They were Israel’s royalty and nobility - the best of the best! King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to strip them of their Jewish culture and identity so they could serve his kingdom. They were given Babylonian names to further make them forget who they were. Isn’t that what our enemy the devil likes to do as well? As believers in Christ, we are sons and daughters of the Most High God, yet the devil likes us to remind us of labels the world has put on us. Can you relate?

But God… when He names you, it’s your true identity. And there’s a neat hidden message in the Hebrew names of our heroes:

• Daniel (Belteshazzar) = My judge is God.
• Hananiah (Shadrach) = God has been gracious.
• Mishael (Meshach) = Who is like God?
• Azariah (Abednego) = God has helped.

Combine all of the meanings of their Hebrew names and you have a preview into their story’s victorious ending! My judge is God. God has been gracious. Who is like God? God has helped! Now just add those statements to the situation you are in right now. I hope this gives you some encouragement! Your victory is still en route!

Questions:

1. What labels has the world put on you?

2. Do you believe those names or labels?

3. What do you think that God calls you?