Sometimes godly rulers fall in corruption and moral failure.
Sometimes ungodly rulers rise and impose their will on the world.
Sometimes God’s people are caught up in the turmoil of it all.
What do we do in those times?
The book of Daniel, written about real people in real times of crisis, is full of help.
First, Daniel and his companions give us an example of faith in crisis.
When Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man on earth, was rendered powerless by a terrifying dream, he took his fear out on his advisors. He demanded the impossible – tell me my dream and then interpret it for me. The advisors, powerless to obey, enraged the king who then ordered their execution.
Daniel, fresh out of school and into his first job was suddenly caught up in the drama. How did he respond?
1. He remained calm.
2. He acted with honor and tact.
3. He abandoned self-reliance.
4. He called his faithful friends and prayed.
5. He experienced God’s salvation and came out singing.
Not only does this history give us an example to follow, it shows us a cycle that repeats itself again and again in the Scriptures.
- Crisis – a storm rises and threatens disaster (1-7,12-13)
- Exposure – the inadequacy of human response is exposed (8-11)
- Faith – the humble turn to God in prayer for mercy (12-18)
- Salvation – God intervenes with justice and grace (19)
- Worship – the grace of God is adorned with worship (19b-23)
With every new crisis, God’s sovereign agenda advances through history.
Every fresh exposure of human bankruptcy makes way for God’s mercy.
Every divine act of mercy reveals God’s glory.
The end result is worship.
Understanding this cycle gives us the freedom to follow the example of faith.
Faith does not come from finding the resources we need within ourselves.
Faith comes from realizing we are bankrupt and turning to the God of heaven who loves to show mercy for the praise of his glory.
Tom Brown is the planting pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Wichita. Tom and his wife, Mandy, have worked together in ministry for over 20 years and have four children. More about Pastor Tom Brown