Daniel 1:8-20
Even though they were still young men, Daniel and the boys stood tall in the face of pressure. We should be inspired to follow their lead. They were more concerned with following God's will than they were about their own well-being and security, and so they took the steps of faith necessary to prevent themselves from being defiled. It was these steps of faith that led to their being wise.
Daniel and his friends refused the food and wine that they would normally receive because it was sinful. The most likely explanation is that the meat and wine were associated with the Babylonian gods. When their tutor, Ashpenaz, did not allow them an alternate diet, they suggested a trial period of 10 days. It would prove long enough. The result was that they turned out to be the healthiest and wisest of the court.
Their wisdom was no accident. We are meant to see the connection between their wisdom and their steps of faith. "To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds." (1:17)
God gave them wisdom because of their steps of faith along the way. The principle at work is that as we take steps of faith, God responds by allowing us to grow. In fact, we cannot grow unless we take steps of faith along the way.
The first step of faith they took was in verse 8. They asked Ashpenaz for permission not to defile themselves. Many people would have thought it was a hopeless situation and so they would have gone along, thinking, "What else could I do?" Daniel and the others didn't see it that way, however. They thought it was better to please God than Nebuchanezzar, and so they took the step of faith to ask for a change.
By contrast, there are many times we think there is nothing we can do, so we don't even try. I remember one day waiting for a college class to begin. The professor was late and found us all outside the room. "Why didn't you go in?" he asked. Someone responded, "The door is locked." He grabbed the knob, twisted it and walked through the doorway. No one, including me, had actually tried the door.
Its one thing to look stupid waiting to go through a door. Its another to think, "I should have said no." And yet there are times when we find ourselves in a bind because we didn't even try the obvious.
The second step of faith they took is in verses 11-14. When Ashpenaz didn't agree, they approached their guard and suggested a trial period. Daniel and the others believed anything was possible with God, and so they did not give up working on a solution. The word "tenacious" comes to mind.
Many times we suspect deep-down that something is not possible, so we make only a half-hearted attempt and then give up. We think, "Oh well, at least I tried." There was nothing half-hearted about Daniel's resolve not to defile himself.
Steps of faith are important because they reveal where our trust and devotion really are. Daniel and his companions trusted in God fully, so they stood up for their beliefs and God rewarded their faith with wisdom..
I think there are two kinds of steps of faith - "moral" and "other." Morally, God calls us to take steps of faith to protect ourselves from being defiled. Like Daniel, there are times when we need to say NO to our friends, family, boss, coworker, or to the Tempter. I know the difficulties in this. Spending my student days living in a resort area during the summer provided no shortage of ways for a young Christian to defile himself. I still find the same in the culture around me now. And yet God calls us to follow his will in these things.
I haven't named the "other" category, but in this one are ways in which God calls us forward in our faith walk. If we don't take these steps, our faith development becomes slowed. Baptism and tithing fall into this category, I believe. Will I stand up publically for Jesus and trust him to provide? These are basic and foundational.
Using our spiritual gifts takes steps of faith, for it takes faith to use them to their fullest potential. Some people are convinced that a small church in a small town without many economic prospects should be satisfied with holding their own, but I believe that we can do better than that, that we can use the gifts we have to win souls for Jesus and that a church can actually grow here. Sometimes what we sense God suggesting seems a little beyond our abilities. This is when we need to step in faith, but when we do God builds us up and strengthens our faith. And, we are growing. Not quickly, but we are.
God calls us all to trust him more and more. When we do, we find that our faith grows, we become stronger, we learn that we can trust God more, and the cycle continues. Daniel's example inspires me to take steps of faith. I hope that it inspires you, too.
Copyright 2006