Hope is where God is

“I want to be where You are.” — from DANIEL, Sight & Sound Theatres®

Babylon. The epicenter of the world. It’s impressive in every way. It has the best military. The best resources. The best education. The best architecture. The beautiful and vibrant blue of the Ishtar gate represents the heavens. The small flowers and trees embedded in the décor represent paradise and the all-seeing eyes of the gods. The golden lions that line their main street represent the power and ferocity of the Babylonians. The Babylonian sphinxes represent all of creation with Babylon at its head.

While Daniel knew that God was all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving, he was also raised in Jerusalem, where the belief was that God’s presence was in His temple. That temple was in Jerusalem. Yes, Jerusalem had idolatry, but Babylon was worse than anyone could have imagined. Daniel knew that God had heard his prayers, but how could he have known that God was with him? Jesus had not defeated death through the cross and His resurrection yet. People were not given the Holy Spirit yet. Surely God wouldn’t be here in the darkness of Babylon?

God flipped this entire script on its head with two examples. Ezekiel, a priest-turned-prophet, was a Hebrew exile in Babylon. While in Babylon, he looked over the waters and saw God's throne room. The Lord wasn’t relegated to the temple at all. He was there! In Babylon!

The second example is found in the book of Daniel. Remember the boys that were taken with him? Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were renamed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When they stayed faithful and refused to bow down to an idol that Nebuchadnezzar set up, they were thrown in the furnace. Nebuchadnezzar then looked in the fire and saw one like "a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:25) The three young men were delivered from the fire because of the protective presence of the Lord. The wicked King Belshazzar even experienced the physical hand of the Lord in his debauched banquet hall during a party meant to defame the Hebrew God!

Even when it seemed impossible, God was in Babylon. God was with His people.

God’s presence reaches to the darkest corners of the world and our hearts. He truly is the light of the world. He is with you. He is for you. As King David said, “Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139:7) He loves shining in dark places. The light of hope comes with the presence of the Lord.