People in Australia, the lucky country, are suffering. And this comes on top of a searing drought. Over the last few weeks around 1000 homes have been destroyed, and just about anything green along the eastern spine of Australia has been incinerated. On New Year's Eve day, the bushfires swept through the south coast of NSW and eastern Victoria destroying hundreds of homes and killing about 9 people. If you have been following the news about Australia you will probably know that we are having a tough bushfire season. I find it very hard to support the notion that "God is in control" this morning. What do these verses say about God’s interest in our personal struggles? At the same time, Daniel shows that it is possible to make a contribution to the state and society and remain committed to the Lord. Their experience of faithfulness and absolute commitment to the Lord provides encouragement when we face opposition and even persecution for the sake of the gospel. When pressed to compromise their faith and make concessions to the Babylonian system in areas that would deny their commitment to the Lord, they remain faithful to the Word of God. Daniel and his friends serve as role models for life in a society that holds a worldview often at odds with that of the Bible. God provides a role model for His end-time people.But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, behind, above, and through all the play and counterplay of human interests and power and passions, the agencies of the all-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will”. The shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. White says: “In the annals of human history the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as dependent on the will and prowess of man.
In every single chapter of Daniel, the message is hammered home that God steers the flow of history.
But the message of Daniel is that God stands in control. At times we feel troubled by a confused and aimless world that is full of sin and violence.
We can rest assured that the Lord remains our Lord, and He has not abandoned us even amid our trials and temptations. When facing trials, sufferings, and opposition, we can look back to what God did for Daniel, Joseph, and Esther. However, the Lord strengthened them and used them in powerful ways. To the casual observer they may have seemed weak and God-forsaken.
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