Not Misplaced by God

Have you ever misplaced something that was a great worth and value to you?  Of course we all have!  How stressful and how anxious be become as the deadline draws near and we have yet to find our wallet, purse, keys, concert tickets, or even our child.  It is no different with humanity.  As billions of people roam throughout this earth, most live with a constant feeling of being lost, misplaced, or not even cared for on this giant rock we call earth.  Even for Christians, there will be times in our lives in which we feel misplaced on this earth by God.  It was no different for Daniel, a young teenager ripped from his home land of Judea, forced to live as a slave, and dropped into an alien environment in Babylon.  Here was a young man who loved God, and now is all alone in a hostile and pagan environment, forced to surround himself by the very things that he was taught to be sin.  Yet, it is in this situation that Daniel learns about living each day with conviction that God is completely sovereign.

In Daniel 1:1-7, Daniel showed his confidence in God's sovereignty by living his life on the truth that God had not misplaced him; God knew exactly where he was - even during the uncontrollable circumstances in his life (1:1-2).  Daniel did not have a vote or a choice whether king Nebuchadnezzar would attack and destroy his city of Jerusalem.  He had no control whether or not to go as a captive to Babylon.  But even as this young man's world crumbled around him, he could see the hand of God when he wrote, "The LORD gave Jehoiakim to Nebuchadnezzar" (1:2).  Daniel learned an important lesson about life, even though he was not able to control the outward circumstances of life, he could always trust in the God who controls everything.  And if you and I live with such a mindset, our life will be less stressful when our world is turned inside out.  Until next time, keep walking close to Christ.