Sermons
Nehemiah’s New Normal
NEHEMIAH 8: 1-8
ARTAXERXES
Here’s how we pronounce it: “our tax irks ease.”
Artaxerxes was a goodish kind of king. Remember, he is Esther’s stepson, which means that as queen she continued to be a major influence in his life and on Persian policies concerning the people of Israel. It shows. Through Esther’s influence, the Persian people continued to honor the God of Israel, even referring to him as the “God of Heaven.” Notice the expanded view here: the former habit of believing that each country, city, or village had its own god, we now have the God of Heaven, who is the one God over and above all. Here we have the start of monotheism in Persia, which will become the permanent standard.
MATH PROBLEMS
As an eighth-grader, I never disliked algebra—in fact, I kind of enjoyed it. I liked thinking of the problems as a kind of game or puzzle to be solved and as long as I obeyed the rules taught by the teacher, I could ace every test. That’s the think about math and numbers: there’s no room for opinion; they just work a certain way whether you like it or not.
Mr. Stribley was a great teacher as well. Thick glasses, bushy moustache, short-sleeve shirt with a wide, 70s necktie—he looked about as you’d expect a jr. high math teacher to look. He would spend the class standing at an overhead projector working problems on transparencies with a grease pencil. Organized, clear, mechanical—he was the best algebra teacher I ever had.
We had weekly quizzes every Friday, and I was always on top of the ball. Monday mornings we’d get our quizzes returned and I was used to seeing 100% in red at the top, but one Monday morning my quiz was handed back to me and I had failed: 20%! I went into an adolescent conniption. Honestly, I felt that I had totally aced the test! I had worked through every problem thoughtfully and conscientiously. As it turned out, I had made no errors in sums or factors, but as Mr. Stribley reviewed the problems, it seems I had made a processing flaw—wrongly multiplying around the parentheses—and so 8 out of 10 of my answers were wrong. Still, I couldn’t quite admit defeat.
I had worked hard in the class and worked diligently, logically, on the problems in question. It felt so unjust that I should have failed the quiz. Ispoke up with the unmitigated audacity to declare: “I think my answers should be right anyway!” Mr. Stribley looked at me with a blank gaze and then chortled with amusement. “Sorry, Noel, you’re just wrong!”
Eventually I admitted the problem. That’s the thing about algebra—and all math—if you make a mistake in the equation, you have to go all the way back to the point of the error and then rework your way forward. There’s no shortcutting things, and it makes no difference whether or not you “feel” you’re right. The algebraic equations have one answer and one only, and though I wished that my answers could have been graded as correct anyway, that’s just not reality. Wanting math to work differently doesn’t make it work differently.
Question: What if I had been unwilling to submit to my teacher’s correction? What if I had dug in my heels and insisted that my processes, while different from the textbook’s, were nonetheless correct and worthy of full credit? What if I dragged my parents in and (imagining they were rich) threatened the school system with legal suits for suppressing me and my creativity? It seems to me a truly healthy school would absolutely side with Mr. Stribley against me. Should the whole discipline of algebra be sacrificed in order to appease my wounded vanity? No.
GETTING IT RIGHT
Mr. Stribley is like all the prophets. They were the standard-bearers, for they bore the Word of God to the people. They brought truth with a capital T, and they were often hated for it. Why? Well, the people, who had intermarried with pagans, felt like their answers should be counted as true even though they were idolatrous.
With Ezra and Nehemiah, we have a kind of restoration. The temple is rebuilt (albeit short of its former glory) and though the people have lined their homes with cedar, the defensive wall around the temple still looks like mouthful of broken teeth. Under Nehemiah’s encouragement and Ezra’s call to righteousness, the people prayerfully apply themselves and we do see Jerusalem reestablished.
Notice: we won’t hear again about Israel’s issues with idolatry. These re-settlers really do get their act together. With idolatry off the table, Judaism settles down into a new normal, which consists of several elements designed to protect and defend their faith:
Defending the Faith
- 1.Establishing the temple sacrifices
- 2.Prayer and praise to The Lord only
- 3.Reading the Torah
- 4.Observing the festivals
(Pesach, Pentecost, Succoth, Yom Kippur)
- 5.Avoiding intermarriage
- 6.Awaiting God’s Messiah
With the restoration came a new way of worship that went along with the temple sacrifices. This new way of worship would shape the synagogue forever, as well as Christian worship in the New Testament.
A WAY TO WORSHIP
1. The people GATHERED
They gather, but it’s never about themselves nor their own ideas. They are gathered (passive tense) by The Lord because he is the one who gathered them out of slavery in Egypt as well as gathering them out of exile in Jerusalem.
When we gather in worship today, we too remember that we do not gather as an idea of our own; rather, we are gathered by the Holy Spirit and drawn together to worship The Lord. This is why I won’t used what are called “Prayers of Invocation,” because it can suggest calling upon God in order to make him become present. This is what pagan worship looks like. They seek to “round up” God by their sincerity or intensity. Remember the prophets of Ba’al on Mount Carmel who went into conniptions and cut themselves, thinking the sight of their own blood might convince Ba’al to show up. That’s pagan. Some brother and sister charismatics fall to this error—albeit unknowingly—calling upon God to “come down.” If they have a sufficiently gratifying personal experience during the event, they’ll say, “Oh yeah—God showed up!”
The problem with this is that it reduces God to the kind of presence that must be coaxed and lured into making an appearance. It is incantation, and we don’t do that. When we gather, we acknowledge that God is always here, ever present, and everywhere. We don’t ask God to be present, for his promise to us is that he is present already. Rather, we call our collective attention to the fact of his presence. We awaken to him, not he to us!
2. Scripture is brought out
The Law—Torah—is brought out before the people. It is not a secret document for the religious elite, but God’s word to the whole people. This is the same spirit that moved the Protestant Reformation, for the Scriptures were now freed from their sole control by the priestly class and translated into common languages. The printing press meant again that the Scriptures were for the people, not the elites, and now we all have the Scriptures—probably several translations—in each of our homes.
3. Men and women together
This one surprised me. I had forgotten about it. This was unusual and quite progressive in the ancient world—that men and women should worship together. It continues today, and though there are still many denominations who disallow women from being ordained, you’d be hard-pressed to find Christians anywhere who would divide men and women for worship.
4. Kids sent to Children’s church
Their worship wasn’t to be just a day in the park—a carnival or free-for-all social affair—it was worship and it was rigorous. Imagine listening to someone reading from Leviticus for four hours. This was a high calling. If they made it clear that “only those who are capable of understanding are allowed to attend,” who would want to be left out? It was a challenge to come, to listen, and to understand what may have been hard to understand.
That high bar is set before us today. Theology used to be called “the king of sciences” or fields of study. We shouldn’t expect our experience in church to be simply easy and coddling, but also challenging and rigorous as well.
5. High wooden platform
Before the days of headset mikes and sound amplification systems, public speakers had to be pretty loud, pretty articulate, and needed a good line between their mouths and the hearers ears. Hence the platform. The pulpit in churches has only one purpose: acoustics. The term comes from the front bowsprit of boats. The pulpit was a place to extend and drop the anchor and/or tie off the mainsail. The symbolic value of a pulpit suggests the Word of God being our anchor, as well as remembering that Jesus—at least once—preached to the people from a boat.
6. People stood to hear the reading
The people stood before the Word of God on their own two feet. This is continued in the church with standing for the reading of the Gospel. It is a sign of respect and reverence, as opposed to slouching back in an easy chair with your legs crossed and sipping a latté.
7. Praise of God
This is the ideal antidote to idolatry in every age. When we are done hearing and learning Scripture, when we are done serving God’s mission on Earth, the praise of God will remain. Brothers and sisters, of all worship items, the praise of God is the most indispensable. When we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.
There is no such thing as too much praising of God.
8. Raised hands: “Amen, Amen!”
Remember the “Amen” song? It’s an earworm for sure. The Boomer version is the Beatles’ “Let it Be,” which means the same thing. When we pray “amen,” we are saying, “Lord, let it be!” As for the double amen, Jesus uses it often. When Jesus says, “amen, amen,” it is translated into English as “truly.” Every time you hear Jesus begin a saying with “Truly,” or “Truly I tell you,” it is “amen, amen” in the original language. Let it be, let it be!
9. People lay Prostrate
During a scripture reading in Dallas, Texas, twice I heard the beloved elder of our church pronounce it “prostate.” “And the people fell prostate before the Lord…” Once was dismissible; twice was too much. I, and a few others, were seized by church giggles.
Laying prostrate: Muslims pray this way, and it shows utter respect and reverence. Catholics kneel in church. We so-called Mainline Protestants have pretty much given up on bodily expressions altogether, which is a shame.
All research proves that we hear better and comprehend better when our bodies are at work. Presbyterian scholar Marva Dawn believes we should put the kneelers back in, return to crossing ourselves, raise our hands in praise, and learn how to deaf-sign all of our songs. Doing so would help us internalize the Word.
That may not be our style, but it is time we reawaken our awareness that what we do with our bodies can and does affect our psychology, our attitudes, and yes, our souls.
You wanna raise your hands during praise? By all means do so!
10. Reading, interpreting, understanding.
Nehemiah’s Session, gathered on the platform with him, were not there just for symbolic value. The text says they helped the people in reading, interpreting, and understanding of Scripture. This continues today. We need our small groups, lifegroups, home groups, and Bible studies to help us digest and embody the will of God as we discover it in Scripture.
The hearing of the Word remains central to how people come to salvation in Christ. Hearing, interpreting, and understanding—are why the sermon stands at the center of our worship. We too are like the people gathered in Nehemiah’s time. We gather together to hear God’s Word and prepare for the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. That work is expressed through a variety of gifts—some for outreach, some for nurture, some for care—but all for the growth of the Body of Christ. Let’s be clear: the work belongs to the Holy Spirit, and our role is make ourselves supple, pliable, malleable in his hands, for that is the path to obedience.
OUR PATH TODAY
The Christian life and call is one of growing into Christlikeness. That means humility is superior to pride—we serve rather than conquer. It also means that doing God’s will in God’s way and time is superior to the sound and fury of our own ambitions.
Be clear: this doesn’t mean that we sit back and wait for something to happen; it means that we pursue the mission of the Church with diligence, but we do so never forgetting that we are flawed and often blind in sin. We seek what we see in Christ: a humble obedience. We are to become less that he become more, and we pray every day, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,” and leave our outcomes in his hands. That is faithfulness; that is the faith. May God always and ever be drawing us into alignment with his will as we go on our way praying and praising him! †
The Return Home
EZRA 1: 1-4 & HAGGAI 1:3-9
EXILED
From the beginning, the people of God have journeyed from total obscurity to the status of God’s unique favor. They griped their way through salvation from slavery in Egypt, and chased after idols at every chance. No matter how much they were blessed, it wasn’t sufficient to keep them straight. Given the promised land wasn’t enough, the kingdom of David wasn’t enough, even the kingdom of Solomon which made Israel the peak of wealth and world power of its day—not enough to keep people sniffing after idols and just wanting to be like everyone else.
From the time of the Exodus, the Lord made known to Israel that they were his possession. They belong to him and are set apart from the rest of the world to lead—to be a nation of priests—and through them all humankind will find its godly blessing. Yes somehow, the people didn’t really want to be set apart. They wanted to be like everyone else.
We see them as a people constantly struggling to escape this sense of being God’s possession—of being possessed by a purpose that is not their own, not made by themselves but appointed to them by God, just as the prophets are appointed, too, against their will.
So now they are in exile, and as we heard last week, Daniel and his friends find a new, extraordinary faith in the midst of distance and dissociation from the holy land. Daniel and Israel—indeed, even Babylon—find their faith in the Lord.
FIRST THINGS
Once Cyrus allows the people to return to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the temple, Zerubabel leads nearly 50,000 back to Jerusalem. Some were clearly patriots of the older order; others were younger explorers and adventurers taking a chance on building a new future in their parents or grandparents homeland.
The first thing they do is rebuild the altar and re-engage the daily sacrifices. It seems they all would have been moved and heaved something of a collective sigh over this. It is the start of a happy ending to the exile story.
Then they get to building the temple.
TEMPLE-BUILDING
Question: who rebuilt the temple? We tend to answer: “The Jews who returned from Babylon,” but that is not the best answer. Who paid for it? Cyrus, the King of Persia. It was Babylonian money that funded the rebuild under Babylonian authority. Cyrus returned the gold appliances to the temple and protected the returning exiles for their efforts.
Remember: Babylon worshiped the God of Daniel! Babylon, after Daniel, had more believers in The Lord than did Israel and Judah combined.
Even so, the land and its cities were not empty when the exiles returned. Some people had been left behind. When Assyrians or the Babylonians conquered Israel and Judah, they took the upper classes—the nobles, the craftsmen, the most skilled laborers—and left farmers and lower class city laborers behind. Someone has to operate the conquered cities, so a remnant was left there. While everyone else was in Babylon, Assyrians moved into Palestine as a new frontier. People mix, their cultures mix, and they intermarry. Pious Jews from Israel find a Torah and re-establish worship of the Lord in Samaria and on Mt. Gerazim, where it was before there was even a first temple. They carved out a life for themselves. These are the Samaritans.
Imagine their curiosity—their deep suspicions—when all these Judeans return home with. lots of Babylonian money to throw around.
They approach the Jews now beginning the temple rebuild and offer their help. The Jews tell them “Thanks, but no.” It seems the suspicion ran two ways. It’s no stretch to say that the Samaritans wanted to keep a close eye on these returned prodigals, and wanted to make sure that their own cozy little system was neither disrupted nor overpowered.
New Jerusalem folks believed themselves to be the religious purists and the Samaritans to be only half-Jews at best. The Jews in Jerusalem meant to reestablish the true center of worship, and they knew the Samaritans would be threatened by the effort, so they kept them at arms’ length as much as possible.
Not only Samaritans, but all the peoples who had settled in Jerusalem in the past 70 years saw these returning Jews from Babylon as a threat to the lifestyle they had built for themselves. They saw this new effort as an intrusion and unwelcome advancement. They too did what they could to discourage the new temple from being built.
When the opponents to the temple wrote to Darius to see if Cyrus had agreed to build it, Darius found the writ and that it was in the language of the Medes and therefore unalterable.
Darius’ imposes a “beam penalty” for any who interfered, which meant that a beam was pulled from their own home and they would be publicly impaled upon it. Again, this is proof that the temple was essentially a Babylonian/Persian project.
So the temple undergoes reconstruction, but not at a very good pace. Enter the prophet Haggai
PROPHET HAGGAI
Haggai preaches to the people, telling them they have neglected the most important matter. They have neglected the center of their faith and mission in order to feather their own nests.
This happens so easily—one minute the people are all fired up about rebuilding the temple, but they quickly get side-tracked into home improvement.
“Honestly, I don’t think all that cedar would even look good in the new temple, so I think we’ll use it in our living room.”
“The committee is still working out the kinks in the design, but if we let all of that sycamore wood to just sit there, it’ll go bad by the time we really need it. So let’s do the baby’s room!”
“Did y0u see what the Danielsons did with their front entry? We should do that, too—quickly, before the materials disappear!”
Home Depot stock goes through the roof in Jerusalem, and everything but the temple gets the people’s best attention and efforts. Haggai holds their nose in it, charging them to return to their first call and priority.
“FLOURISHING”
We can see the parallels in our own lives only too easily. Our needs for comfort and security can so quickly eclipse trusting in the Lord that we think we’re doing God special glory by upgrading our kitchens.
But something even more dangerous is connected to this self-gratifying ethic, something growing in popularity within the most sophisticated theological circles. It goes by the tagline of “human flourishing.” We should beware of it.
The logic goes something like this: God’s chief concern and mission is humankind, therefore our first concern and mission should be the good of humankind and human flourishing.
But this is a grave mistake: human flourishing is not God’s greatest concern nor should it be ours. Question 1 of the Westminster Catechism puts it clearly:
Q: What is the chief end of man?
A: That we should glorify God and enjoy him forever.
Stampeding toward the “enjoy him” part (which is secondary) leads many to think that we best glorify God by pleasing ourselves. More to the point, the idea that God’s chief interest is social justice or something like “everyone getting along.” Be clear, these are goods! But they are not the chief good, which is God’s glory and God’s glory alone.
They will press further saying that the way God is glorified is through creating human flourishing, so they justify putting human flourishing back as the top priority. Yes, God may be glorified when justice is done, when the poor are fed, prisoners freed, and the ill healed—but not necessarily so. It is a short step from putting human flourishing at the top of the theological list to making our well-feathered nest the evidence of God’s glory. Be clear: this has already happened many times in church history.
We care about God being glorified even at the cost of our own flourishing. God is to be glorified whether we are rich or poor, slave or free, healthy and wealthy or (like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), thrown into the furnace. God can be glorified in the midst of pain and suffering every bit as much as through human flourishing, so human flourishing cannot be used as the sole means of glorifying God.
Watch for it, and whenever you see self-gratification (be it individual or collective) parading as righteousness, speak out: remind your sisters and brothers that God’s glory is the center—the only center—of our theology and mission.
FAITH/GUILT
We live in that tension between taking care of ourselves and living boldly for the Lord. Our very DNA leads us to self-preserve and self-serve. We are genetically geared for survival, so we are by nature driven to care for ourselves and our loved ones. Our minds are pre-outfitted with “security monitors” and “comfort detectors,” and taking care of ourselves—feathering our own nests—is what we do by nature, just like birds, bees, and all the other mammals.
But Jesus says, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”(Luke 9:24). So much of our self-preservation/instinct mode runs contrary to our calling, so it is only too easy to neglect our calling to serve ourselves.
Like God’s people in the Old Testament, We too are a people constantly struggling to escape this sense of being possessed by a purpose that is not our own, not made by us but appointed to us by God, just as the prophets are appointed, too, against their will.
WORKING ON THE LORD’S BUILDING
We may not be building a temple, but we too have been chosen, called, and appointed to work in the Lord’s service. We are the Lord’s possession, and we do our best when we cooperate to establish his kingdom here.
In Amiens, France, there is a remarkable cathedral which has been standing since the 13th century. It has the largest indoor volume of any cathedral in France, which is really saying something. It remains the largest complete cathedral in France, and it stands in the middle of a smallish town.
Picture it: a massive cathedral surrounded by modest, medieval homes. It is a miraculous testimony to the faithfulness of that community. They gathered together and gave their best for the cathedral to God’s glory. It wasn’t at all about themselves, nor was it an egomaniacal bishop’s ego at stake, nor the townsfolk’s need to put Amiens on the map; no, it was all for God. Those who planned it never saw it finished. It took generations to complete, but the people labored together and gave their best, and it stands today as a remarkable testimony to people pulling together for something higher and greater than their own comforts.
The Cowboy Junkies have a great song that says it perfectly well called “Working on a Building”:
Working on a building, a Holy Ghost building
For my Lord, for my Lord
If I was a drunkard I tell you what I'd do
I would quit my drinking and work on that building too
Working on a building, a Holy Ghost building
For my Lord, yeah for my Lord
If I was a liar I tell you what I'd do
I would quit my lying and work on that building too
Working on a building, it's a Holy Ghost building
For my Lord, yeah for my Lord
Working on a building, it's a Holy Ghost building
For my Lord, yeah for my Lord
If I was a singer I tell you what I'd do
I would keep on singing and work on that building too
We are called to work on a building. Not the temple, not even this church, but the project known as Giving all Glory to God. It is what we were created for, and in it we find our joy, not only today, but forever. †
Daniel in Exile
Daniel 6:13-23
The people of God are taken into exile—both Israel and Judah sacked and their inhabitants taken to Babylon—all as a result of their patent unfaithfulness. Yet even in exile, God’s promises go out to them. Even though they have repeatedly failed God, God will not fail them. This week we have the story of Daniel, a devoted follower of God who keeps faith in a pagan kingdom. This morning we’re having a look at the episode of the lion’s den, which on the surface is a story of God’s care for those who trust in him, but which also conveys deeper signs of an amazing revelation.
[ read Daniel 6:13-23]
DANIEL & JOSEPH
Today we have the story of a man who was taken into slavery in a foreign, pagan kingdom; but as The Lord was with him, he prospered, impressed the foreign rulers, and rose up in the ranks, especially through interpreting the king’s dreams. Sounds very familiar, doesn’t it? Did you think I was speaking of Joseph who was sold into slavery in Egypt? Joseph, whom God blessed and enabled to interpret Pharoah’s dreams; Joseph, who rose to the top of the world power of his day to become the equivalent of prime minister? Joseph, whose rise brought hope and salvation to his larger family? No, we’re talking about Daniel.
It is a pretty accurate echo: Daniel, enslaved by the Babylonians, rises up through the ranks, interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, and ends up president of the University of Babylon. Through Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar comes to proclaim “The God of Daniel is the true God!” as does King Darius.
DANIEL & JESUS
Another round of connections becomes clear when we consider ten points about this story in comparison with the story of Jesus:
- 1.Daniel considers Darius’ decree much less important than faith in God.
- 2.Darius wants to spare Daniel.
- 3.The administrators charge Darius to abide by the law of the land.
- 4.The people abuse Daniel during his execution.
- 5.A stone is placed over the opening to the lion’s den, sealed by Darius and his officials.
- 6.Darius doesn’t sleep and worries about Daniel.
- 7.They come to the Lion’s den at the first light of dawn.
- 8.Daniel’s emergence from the Lion’s den validates his innocence.
- 9.Daniel emerges alive and unscathed.
- 10.All testify that Daniel’s trust in God preserved him.
In case you didn’t get it already, here are the same ten points in the life of Christ:
- 1.Jesus considers the temple authority’s decrees much less important than faith in God.
- 2.Pilate wants to spare Jesus.
- 3.The temple authorities charge Pilate to abide by the law of the land.
- 4.The people abuse Jesus during his execution.
- 5.A stone is placed over the opening to the tomb, sealed by Pilate.
- 6.Pilate’s wife doesn’t sleep and worries about Jesus.
- 7.They come to the tomb at the first light of dawn.
- 8.Jesus’ emergence from the tomb vindicates his innocence.
- 9.Jesus appears alive and unscathed (the Lord of life—not someone recovering from crucifixion).
- 10.His raising begins a movement of faith still alive—one that proclaims his perfect trust in the Lord.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. —Philippians 2:8
BABYLON TODAY
When the people of God were taken into exile—their homes and homeland burned to the ground—their captors said, “Sing us some of your songs from Zion.” But the Psalmist says, “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” It was an insult, as if to say, “We’re so happy to have conquered you that we’d like to use some of your sacred songs for our victory celebration.” It would be like having Nazi soldiers in a death camp telling prisoners to play “Havah Nagilah”(Havah Nagilah means “Let us rejoice”).
We can imagine other things they might have said to people like Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego who insisted upon remaining faithful to the Lord even in captivity in Babylon. “What? Are you still worshiping the God of Israel? Really? Even when there is no Israel anymore? Seriously, you’re slaves, isn’t it time to drop it and worship our gods?” The implication is this: Your God isn’t working for you; isn’t it time you tried some that will?
The irony here is that while the Lord provided Israel with everything, they still chased after other gods, but now that all has been taken from them, they worship one whom to all the world appeared to be utterly defeated?
Sometimes it takes defeat to throw us into the arms of God. For ancient pagans, your god was only as good as his or her provision for your health and success. When a god “didn’t work” for you, you threw it on the fire and had a new one made.
Sometimes 21st century America feels like it is moving closer to Babylon than Jerusalem. Urbane sophisticates look down their noses at believers and, like the Babylonians, say, “What? Really? You still go to church? Don’t you know that Christianity is an obsolete, patriarchal scheme designed to keep exploited lower classes content?” Or else we hear the modern pagans saying, “Oh yeah, I used to go to church, but it didn’t really work for me.”
Brothers and sisters, our faith is always like the faith of God’s people in exile. Like resident aliens in Babylon, we trust, serve, and worship the Lord not because it works or doesn’t work, but because The Lord is God and is worthy of our devotion and service—whether we are rich or poor, slave or free. Like wedding vows, the people of God pledge their faith to love the Lord “for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.”
To love the Lord and to be transformed by his love is the whole point. It seems that Israel’s relationship with God was actually improved by exile. The quality of Daniel’s faith—and those with him—is exemplary. In fact, it changed the nation.
Consider: Nebuchadnezzar—raised pagan—comes to proclaim that the God of Israel is the one, true God. King Darius as well will proclaim that the God of Daniel is the one true God. The simple act of trusting in God unconditionally turned Babylon into a nation with more believers in YHWH than Israel!
TURNING NATIONS
What will turn a nation today? Does it require that we turn up the temperature by overheating the fires of Hell as a threat? Does it mean we arm up and storm the gates of Hell and secular culture with the sword of truth and the shield of righteousness? No—all it takes is for people of faith to continue trusting in the Lord unswervingly, keeping faith when all around abandon theirs. There is no greater witness than persistence in the face of adversity.
We are to trust and obey no matter what kind of lions we feel locked in with. You may be locked into difficult relationships, or feel that a work situation has become intolerable, or find a family member on the verge of attacking you, or otherwise feel like you are in danger of being pounced upon, shredded, and eaten; but all these lions—no matter how large, scary, and drooling they may be—stand beneath the power of our one Lord, who can shut their mouths and render them harmless.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Trust.
Trust and obey. †