A few weeks ago, I gave a devotion in my junior homeroom titled, “Be a ‘But.’” We looked at how Samuel lived in a day when everyone around him was doing wrong, including the priests; but Samuel ministered before the Lord. This brought to light how many great men of the Bible are introduced with a statement similar to how Samuel was introduced: But Samuel. (I Samuel 2:18) That night, our pastor preached about the faith of Noah, who is introduced in Genesis 6:8 with the words, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Then I started really trying to research, and I came across Daniel 1:8. It says, But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
I know whole series of sermons and Sunday school lessons have been preached and taught about Daniel and how he purposed in his heart and made those decisions. That is not something to be taken lightly, but I noticed something else in this verse: Daniel is mentioned, but no one else is. Daniel stood alone. However, when we come to verse 11, Daniel is listed along with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (better remembered as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego).
This made me think, What would have happened to these three men if had Daniel not taken a stand? What if Daniel had decided to just go with the flow? Daniel made one right decision, and because of his right decision, these three friends followed him. We know that later in the book of Daniel, these three men also stood for right and refused to bow before the idol. Certainly, that courage took root back when they followed Daniel’s lead in refusing to eat the king’s meat.
In our lives, we have people looking up to us, whether as a mom who is watched by those little people sitting at her own table, as a single lady who helps on a church bus route or sings in the choir, or as a widow who might feel unnoticed in her later years. Someone can find the strength to make the right decision from watching the right decisions we made. I cannot count the number of times I have faced a struggle that I knew I could get through because another Christian lady did. I have also seen those who left when times became hard (the blessing and curse of being in the same church for over 20 years); thankfully, there have been many good examples as well.
I challenge us all: There is another generation who will follow us. They need to see us stick with what we know is right and stand against sin and Satan. We must stand with our Saviour, even when we are afraid or uncertain of whether or not we will make it. With God, we will prevail, but we must continue to do what is right. In the future, to whom will our children look when it is their turn to take a stand?
by Vicki Voorhis