November 26

Daniel 2:24-3:30; 1 Peter 4:7-5:14; Psalm 119: 81-96; Proverbs 28:15-16

I sat down to read the OYB today and there was Daniel.

Daniel—a young man with impeccable character who was a devoted follower of the God in heaven who reveals mysteries (Dan. 2:28). How did Daniel get this incredible confidence in the God of heaven? Where did he learn to resist the enticements of the culture in which he lived? How did he choose such good friends? Daniel was a Jewish lad living in exile in foreign Babylon. His entire life was thrown into chaos when Nebuchadnezzar defeated King Jehoiakim of Judah and sacked Jerusalem. Daniel was taken captive to Babylon where he lived for the rest of his life. Because he was a prince in Israel and intelligent, he was chosen to be developed for leadership in Babylon.

Back to my questions—where did he get the wisdom and fortitude he possessed? Judah had not been following their God for many decades, yet Daniel knows the law of his God.

I read this and stopped. I stopped to pray for my grandsons: Paul, Caleb, Noah, Joseph, Samuel, Levi, Daniel, Jonah and Isaiah. I prayed that they would become young men who follow the God of heaven as ardently as Daniel did. I prayed that they would have godly friends like Daniel did. I prayed that they would learn to resist the pull of their culture like Daniel did.

Then I read in 1 Peter 4:7: “The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” Yes, that is what I want. To read the OYB and to pray as I read. As Psalm 119:81b says, “I have put my hope in Your Word.”

My hope is in God’s Word—not in the pervasive downward pull of our culture and not in any resistance to it that I can muster. My hope is in God’s Word. Somehow, in a time when his nation was apostate, Daniel knew God’s Word. And he knew the God of the Word. And he trusted Him his whole life and served him devoutly in a pagan culture.

Lord, “Your faithfulness continues through all generations (Ps. 119:20). I need not fear the godless culture around me. I can trust You to raise up godly men to lead like Daniel did. And I pray that my grandsons would be among those men.”

- Nell Sunukjian 

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