When God Distinguishes A Man

UV 3741/10000 When God Distinguishes A Man So this (man) Daniel prospered and enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Daniel 6 v 28 The word “so” at the start of the uni-verse summarises why Daniel prospered and enjoyed success. His discipline, his indomitable faith in the God of Israel, his courage, his convictions brought the favour of God upon him. Of course, his spirit of excellence, his knowledge, skills played a role but the primary factor was the grace or the favour of God upon his life. He was willing to face death but was not willing to compromise his faith in God. He was fearless from the days of his youth. His discipline of prayer thrice a day with his face towards Jerusalem and his knowledge of the scriptures were the source of his power. Daniel is a biblical character whom I admire from the days of my youth. I aspired to be like him. He gave first priority to God and the things of God. From his early days, he had the anointing of a prophet and saw visions and was able to interpret visions. This extraordinary gift made him the “go to” man for successive kings. His courtesy and respect for the king despite him having given in to the evil plots of his rivals set him apart. He blessed the king even as he was drawn out of the lion’s den. He was wise in his words and was persuasive with the overseer when the latter refused to give him just vegetables and not meat from the king’s table. Daniel’s life and testimony has a relevance not just to his age and time but for all time as the Lord gave him messianic revelations. Daniel had an amazing understanding of the sovereignty and power of God over all nations. Without his knowledge the most prized treasure Nebuchadnezzar took away from Jerusalem was the young lad Daniel. Daniel was quick to learn even the local laws, literature and contemporary knowledge of the empire of Babylon. He proved himself ten times more competent and knowledgable than the contemporary home grown civil servants. His faith distinguished him. The spirit of excellence distinguished him. The presence of God with him at all times distinguished him from the rest of mankind.