​Flourishing in the Challenges (By Les Kovacs)

Bible Verse: The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. Daniel 1:19-20

With apologies to the Beatles, Daniel, along with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, also know as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were the original Fab Four.  When the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzer forced the Israelites into exile, he took with him the captured royal household and nobility of Judah to be trained for service in his courts if they were found to be suitable.  His intention was to extinguish their identity as Israelites and make them conform to their new roles subservient to him alone.  That was why he had them given new Babylonian names and trained in their new duties.  It was part of the indoctrination into their new culture.  As devout Israelites who followed the one true God, this would have been especially challenging.  The pressure to give up their Jewish identity was intense.  They were to live Babylonians, eat like Babylonians, and behave like Babylonians.  But if they did, they would violate all the Jewish laws found in the Torah.  So, despite the risk, they decided to stand their ground with a peaceful protest and chose obedience to God.

In staunch witness to their faith, these four young exiles did something extraordinary.  Instead of rolling over and giving up in despair, or rebelling in anger, they chose a different strategy.  When they were instructed to eat what the king had ordered for them, they asked for a 10-day vegetarian challenge to demonstrate their faith in their God, and let their physical health at the end of that time determine their fate.  This was a faith-filled challenge to their captors and put their own lives on the line by doing so.  The result?  They were found to be healthier than all the other captives who were on the king’s diet, and so their jailors allowed them to honour their beliefs, and God blessed them with extraordinary insight and abilities.   They became wise and capable young men and were recruited to serve in the royal palace of Babylon.  God changed their limitations and challenges into leadership opportunities.  They actually flourished in captivity.
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What if the challenges we are facing today are not just limitations but occasions for us to exercise creative faith and put our trust in God?  What if the challenges we face today regarding our health, jobs, families, or prejudices are actually opportunities for us to flourish and for God to demonstrate his power and faithfulness?  What if the trials we face today are but tests to prepare us to lead others out of their limitations tomorrow?  As you think of the challenges you are facing, be open to God’s creative genius to turn obstacles into opportunities for our good and for his glory!  Praise be our great and faithful God!