Who wins the battle when both options are bad?

17 Mar Who wins the battle when both options are bad?

Read Daniel 1 (NLT)
Thought for the Day: With two bad options, there is always a third: trust God!

Daniel was a stranger in a strange land. After the siege and takeover of Jerusalem, King Nebuchadnezzar and his army rounded up the Jewish people and led them on a long, hard road to Exile in Babylon. Once the people arrived, they were not allowed to rest but instead were immediately put to work. But there was a caveat – the ‘best and brightest’ were set aside for training and service in the King’s palace. Suddenly, Daniel was not just a stranger in Exile but found himself expected to give up his identity and become Babylonian.

Calling Daniel an underdog is an understatement. In the Babylonian Empire, individuals did not have the same rights and freedoms we enjoy today. As a member of a conquered nation in the Ancient World, Daniel knew he had two choices: submit to a process of cultural conversion or face certain death. But, rather than submitting to two bad options, Daniel realized he had one more:

“Daniel spoke with the attendant… ‘Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,’ Daniel said. ‘At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” Without compromising, Daniel and his friends found a way to make everything work together. Where others saw two bad options, Daniel saw an opportunity to trust God.

Sometimes life makes no sense because we feel like the only options we have are bad ones. Let’s remember that no matter what we face, we can always trust God. He asks us to love Him and love our neighbors while seeing the power of humility. So, let’s pause, pray, and ask for the wisdom to trust God without compromise!

In Christ,
Pastors Stan and David