Richard Doster
When things don’t go as planned, or when we’re blindsided by events or circumstances, we’re forced to pause. A little direction might help, and maybe some insight, too — like the clarity God gave the prophet Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 1:5 God plainly told him, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” From that moment, Jeremiah knew — regardless of his circumstances — who he was and what he was meant to do.
Compare that to the life of Daniel. In Daniel 1:1-7 we read that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, laid siege to Jerusalem and took Daniel captive. What’s more, because he was healthy, handsome, and smart, David was chosen to serve the enemy king.
From Daniel’s perspective, he was in the wrong place at the worst possible time. As he made his way from Jerusalem to Babylon, he had to be wondering, “What now?”
Where Jeremiah had clearly heard God’s call, Daniel more likely felt adrift and stranded in hostile surroundings. Yet even a quick survey of Daniel’s story not only reveals God’s presence in his life, but his purpose for it as well.
In Daniel 1, for example, the king puts Daniel and his friends on a special diet that would have caused them to “defile” themselves. The men negotiate their way around it, and God soon gave them “knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.” He also equipped Daniel to “understand visions and dreams of all kinds” (v. 17).
Beginning in Daniel 2, we see why. When Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that “troubled” him, he sent for his top advisors. To prove their skills, the king insisted that they first describe the dream and then interpret it. Only Daniel can do it, and when he does, Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Truly your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings!” (v. 47).
In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar issued an edict that everyone was to worship a new 90-foot-tall statue of him. Daniel and his friends refused. Furious, Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown into a blazing furnace. God intervenes and miraculously rescued them, and in verses 28-29 Nebuchadnezzar responded: “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel’s friends). … I make this decree that [no one] speak a word against their God. … There is no other god who can rescue like this!”
In the next chapter, another dream “frightens” the king. And again — though this one conveyed dreadful news — Daniel explained it. The king will lose his power, he’ll be driven away from people and live with the wild animals and eat grass like the ox. It’s bitter news, but there is hope. Daniel assures him that his kingdom will be restored. And years later, when it was, Nebuchadnezzar praised the King of heaven, declaring, “All his acts are just and true and he is able to humble the proud” (v. 37).
When we come to chapter five, King Belshazzar is shaken by the mysterious handwriting that has appeared on his wall. Again, only Daniel can translate it. And with heart-breaking honesty he informs the king that God has numbered the days of his reign; he has found the king “wanting,” and will divide his kingdom between the Medes and Persians. In response to Daniel’s insight and honesty, Belshazzar had him “clothed in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and made him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
In Chapter 6, Daniel’s political opponents — jealous of his success — persuade King Darius to issue a decree that no one should worship any god other than him; offenders would be fed to lions. Daniel, of course, disobeys, is thrown into a lions’ den, and is, once more, rescued by God. Darius, relieved and overjoyed, declares that “everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth.”
Sometimes, as with Jeremiah, God’s call is clear. We know what to do and where to go. Other times — and probably most times — the surprise is the call. The thing we never saw coming is the call. The role or responsibility that’s suddenly thrust upon us is God’s way of bringing into his plan and purpose. And when we faithfully respond, God uses us, and the unique gifts he’s given us, to advance his kingdom
Richard Doster lives in Fernandina Beach with his wife Sally. He’s the founding editor of byFaith, the magazine of the Presbyterian Church in America. Reach him at ddoster@icloud.com