Daniel is a great example of living in and through trials while remaining faithful to God. After Judah was conquered, Daniel (among thousands of his countrymen) were deported to a foreign land. That wasn’t how Daniel thought his life would go! He ended up there for about 60 years. We don’t want adversity for a day, week, month, or year. Just think, 60 years. But God had a plan. God still has a plan.

How do you think it was that Daniel could remain faithful to God in a foreign land where others worshipped differently? After all, we all need support groups, right? Like-minded people to encourage us to keep on keeping on? Daniel’s story is a reminder that God is all we need, and we need all of God! So, how do we get to the mature level of faith that Daniel possessed?

Let’s take a look at his habits, priorities, and daily life:

• Daniel 1:8 says that Daniel “resolved” not to defile himself. He made a decision. Not on the fly, but a concerted decision. A line in the sand so to speak. Daniel was not alone in this though, three of his friends also resolved to follow God. God blessed them for their faithful obedience. He gave them knowledge and understanding.
• Daniel 6:10 says that Daniel “prayed and gave thanks to God three times a day”. He made prayer a priority and a habit. God came first. He was in communication with God all during the day, every day.

There are so many stories in the book of Daniel I won’t even try to list them here. The dreams and visions are numerous (even including visions of the End Times). I encourage you to take time to read Daniel again. When reading, think about the world and times we live in right now and how we can apply Daniel’s examples to our lives. We see throughout the book of Daniel that no one could find fault with his conduct, even his enemies and those who were jealous of him.

Daniel’s life was God honoring. He was steadfast in his faith. His faith and those of his friends were tested for sure. Can anyone say fiery furnace and lion’s den?! God didn’t keep the trials from coming, but He didn’t leave them alone in their trials either. He was their Deliverer and He can be ours too, if we are devoted to Him. Bad things happen to good people. We are not promised an easy life, but we are promised a good life and life eternal if we follow Christ and have a relationship with God. I guess the questions we must ask ourselves are these: Are we devoted followers of Christ? Have we resolved to obey God, no matter what? Is prayer a priority?

Daniel was courageous. We can be courageous too. God is able. Nothing is impossible for Him.