From Blind Leaders to Faithful ServantsSýnishorn

The three distinct episodes in Daniel 4, 5, and 6 is a tale of two cities. Daniel lives in Babylon and he is faithful in the service of its rules, but he does not live for Babylon; Daniel lives for another city—Jerusalem and all that it stands for. 

What metaphorical city do we live for: Babylon or Jerusalem? What is the quality of our lives like? Are we shining like stars with the treasure that God has put into our hearts, our ‘jars of clay’? If we want to shine like stars in our generation, we had better listen carefully to Daniel on three things: humility, obedience, and God’s empowerment. 

Is God being glorified in your life and career? Have you given your entire life and work over to him for his royal use? No shred of pride or self-reliance must remain in us—or as with King Nebuchadnezzar, we too will need to be humbled. 

Or perhaps deep down, we are in fact like the leaders in Daniel’s Babylon, putting ourselves in God’s place, blind and callous to what is truly important, craving the spotlight of popularity and power. We must ask ourselves, am I a Belshazzar or a Daniel? Would it be enough for me to be quietly forgotten, marginalised, and even ignored, but be alive in Christ? Would I be content to be a faithful servant rather than a center-stage celebrity? We need the Lord to transform our hardened Belshazzar hearts into the trusting, humble heart of Daniel. We must remember that the God whom we will appear before one day is the same one who is making us new every moment, even if it takes a severed hand scrawling on the meeting room whiteboard.

Lastly, we should consider where our power and motivation comes from. Are we bound by fear, causing us to conform and be apprehensive of standing out? Are we secret Christians who desire not to offend anyone? Do we make excuses and point fingers when we should pray? We can live bold lives as witnesses for the gospel because our God is greater. He is well able to protect his own and glory in his name through us!

In times of great testing and trial, even in our places of work, may we shine brightly as stars for the glory of our God. May we live in this city with all the humility, obedience, and power that comes from knowing and longing for our true city.