Recently, several of the individuals I have been working with lost their jobs. In today's economy that can be a very scary thing. It can lead to feelings of anger, anxiety, depression, and discouragement. In times like that, it can be very difficult to trust God. Why would He allow this sort of thing to happen?
In Daniel 6, we read of a Biblical hero who lost his job. Daniel was a devout follower of the Lord. He was also an exile, a young man who had been taken as a prisoner and removed from his homeland and made to serve the king. So, to begin with, this wasn't the dream job he had hoped for coming out of college. Nonetheless, Daniel "so distinguished himself...by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom (6:3)." What were these "exceptional qualities?" Daniel was "trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent (v. 4)." Daniel was a man of integrity, such that when those who were jealous of him attempted to find fault in him, there was none to be found. The only way they were able to get to Daniel was to deceive the king into passing a law against praying to any man or god other than the king. Daniel continued his practice of praying to his God and lost his job. He almost lost his life, but you probably know that part of the story (if not, read it).
When I was a younger Christian, I remember the challenge, "If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Daniel had done nothing wrong. The individuals I mentioned above did not lose their jobs because they had done something wrong. In fact, in one situation, the individual had left her job because she believed God would not want her to continue working in that environment.
It still isn't certain why God did allow these individuals to lose their jobs. I don't believe God is ever caught off guard. He knew what was going to happen and He continues to have a plan and a purpose for each one of them. This wasn't about God punishing them. I also don't believe it is about God needing to grow them in some way, nor using this as a form of discipline. I am not certain it is about them at all. At times like this, we search for what God may be wanting us to do, how He would have us to handle the situation, what He would have us to learn. Sometimes, all God wants is for us to trust and obey.
Daniel survived "because he trusted in his God." As a result, the king "wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land...people must fear and reverance the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders, in the heavens and on the earth (vv. 26-27)."
We need to trust God even when we lose our jobs, even when we end up in a pit full of hungry lions. As hard as it is to face these types of trials, we need to continue to trust and obey God. Our experiences, as Daniel's, can be used to bring glory to God.
In Daniel 6, we read of a Biblical hero who lost his job. Daniel was a devout follower of the Lord. He was also an exile, a young man who had been taken as a prisoner and removed from his homeland and made to serve the king. So, to begin with, this wasn't the dream job he had hoped for coming out of college. Nonetheless, Daniel "so distinguished himself...by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom (6:3)." What were these "exceptional qualities?" Daniel was "trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent (v. 4)." Daniel was a man of integrity, such that when those who were jealous of him attempted to find fault in him, there was none to be found. The only way they were able to get to Daniel was to deceive the king into passing a law against praying to any man or god other than the king. Daniel continued his practice of praying to his God and lost his job. He almost lost his life, but you probably know that part of the story (if not, read it).
When I was a younger Christian, I remember the challenge, "If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Daniel had done nothing wrong. The individuals I mentioned above did not lose their jobs because they had done something wrong. In fact, in one situation, the individual had left her job because she believed God would not want her to continue working in that environment.
It still isn't certain why God did allow these individuals to lose their jobs. I don't believe God is ever caught off guard. He knew what was going to happen and He continues to have a plan and a purpose for each one of them. This wasn't about God punishing them. I also don't believe it is about God needing to grow them in some way, nor using this as a form of discipline. I am not certain it is about them at all. At times like this, we search for what God may be wanting us to do, how He would have us to handle the situation, what He would have us to learn. Sometimes, all God wants is for us to trust and obey.
Daniel survived "because he trusted in his God." As a result, the king "wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land...people must fear and reverance the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders, in the heavens and on the earth (vv. 26-27)."
We need to trust God even when we lose our jobs, even when we end up in a pit full of hungry lions. As hard as it is to face these types of trials, we need to continue to trust and obey God. Our experiences, as Daniel's, can be used to bring glory to God.
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