Share the Hope

“God is for you. And so am I.” — from DANIEL, Sight & Sound Theatres®

When he was taken by Babylon, Daniel’s name was changed to Belteshazzar. It loosely translates to “the one sent by the god, Bel, to stand beside the king.” The irony of this name resonates throughout Daniel’s story. The one true God actually sent him to stand beside the kings of the world to point them to the King of Kings. The people of God are meant to shine. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your Father in heaven.” That’s what Daniel did. He walked out the mission of God’s people — to shine like a light and represent God to the nations.

How could Daniel do that and be the chief wise man in Babylon? We don’t know how Daniel specifically navigated his profession. Still, we know that the basic job description of a wise man is that they need to commune with the gods to determine circumstances and outcomes, and Daniel actually was the best wise man! He and his friends had a direct line of prayer to the one true God, and the Lord listened and responded.

While the calling of the people of God is to share the hope that He has so generously given us, the way someone responds to the message of hope in the Lord is between them and God. Someone’s heart can soften or harden under the light of the same sun. King Nebuchadnezzar had a challenging and volatile journey toward the Lord but eventually arrived at His feet. From Daniel’s perspective, Nebuchadnezzar must have seemed hopeless at times. King Belshazzar rejected the Lord and blatantly tried to humiliate him. King Darius praised Him for all to hear and see.

While the separation from home had to be incredibly difficult, God planned to share the hope He offered the world through Daniel and his friends. Daniel’s daily disciplined closeness to the Lord helped him be able to guide these kings. The Lord’s ways are not our ways. His ways bring blessing and justice for all. Daniel didn’t keep the hope that the Lord had given to himself. He shared it. His willingness to faithfully share that hope led to a world-changing impact.