“But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the King’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore, he asked the chief of the Unix to allow him not to defile himself. God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the Unix.”
– Daniel 1:8–9
I love this picture here of Daniel’s faithfulness in Daniel 1:8–9. Everybody around him is told to eat this way, drink this way, act, live this way. And Daniel trusts God. Daniel says, no, I’m going to follow my God. I’m going to live according to the Commandments and rules and statutes of God. He basically asked for permission to not defile himself in the Old Testament picture by eating certain things, drinking certain things. And God gives favor to Daniel, as Daniel trusts in the word of God.
God, give us grace to be led by Your Word. May we live, not according to the ways of the world, but by the Word of God.
Don’t you want that to be true of your life? The world says that prosperity is found in living this way or that way, doing this or that. Even in indulging in this or that, and don’t you want your life to say, I’m not going to follow the ways of this world. I’m going to follow the word of God. I’m going to live trusting in the word of God, that His word is better than the ways of this world. God is pleased. God is honored when we live like that.
I just want you to think about your life today, your routines this week. How does the world tell you to live, and how does God’s word direct you to live? Really think about that. How does God’s word lead you to live differently than the world? I want to encourage you to make a conscious decision to live, not according to the ways of this world, but according to the word of God.
How does God’s word lead you to work differently? How does God lead you to lead your family differently or to live as a single differently? And how does God’s word lead you to speak differently? How does God’s word lead you to spend your money differently? This week, and then live. Live according to God’s word and see what God does. Not that it will be easy by any means to go against the grain of this world, but it will be worth it. It will bring glory to God, and it will be good for you. You will never go wrong. I will never go wrong when I’m trusting, when you’re trusting the word of God.
Daniel 1:8–9 Teaches Us To Trust in God Rather Than The World
Oh God, we believe that. We believe that we will not go wrong trusting your word. We pray today and you would help us to live according to your word, not according to the ways of this world. Help us to distinguish, to discern the difference. God help us not to get caught up in a world system, world picture around us, world values around us. Ways that seems so common to everyone else, but do not align with your word, God.
God Can Change the Way We Think
Please change the way we think. Change the way we desire. Change the way we spend our time, the way we spend our money. And change the way we work. Change the way we live and lead our families and live and lead as singles. Change the way we do church, God. We pray that you’d keep us from doing church the way the world says we should do church. This is your church. We pray that we would do church according to your word.
Oh God, please, please help us. Help us to live according to your word. Help us to live with trust in your word. And we pray that as we do, we would see would we know this. Even as we ask this, we know that we will see the goodness of your word. That your ways are far better than the ways of this world. We trust in this. Help us to live and this today, this week, we pray. Help us to follow your word when it goes against the grain of this world and help us to trust in you every step of the way. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
