Daniel 1:1-5 – God is With Us in Our Trauma
The average teenager in our day lives a fairly uneventful life. Go to school, come home, do homework, watch a bit of TV, chat to friends online. The height of trauma for many (although not all) is a tricky math assignment or being asked to help with chores. In this book, we meet four teenagers who had been through trauma beyond what most of us can imagine. They had already been through war. They had friends and family members who had been slaughtered by the Babylonian invaders. They’d seen shattered houses and mangled corpses. To top it all off, they were forcibly marched thousands of miles away from home to a strange land where they would be held against their will.
Yet as we go through this book we’re going to see these four young men living fruitful lives of faithfulness to the one true God. We’ll learn more of their secret soon, but for now let’s just learn one lesson: even in the midst of the worst trauma imaginable, you can still live a life of productive integrity for Christ.
Perhaps you have been through trauma. Perhaps you’re going through it right now. Divorce, unfaithfulness, abuse, bereavement, long-term sickness, exam failure, rejection, infertility, miscarriage, unemployment. Perhaps you need the sweet encouragement that the Holy Spirit provides us with as he showcases these four lads from Israel. Whatever you’re going through and however heartbreaking it may be – there’s still hope in the midst of the darkness. The reason for this is what we saw yesterday. He is on the throne. The fall of Jerusalem was directed by him; the four lads’ trauma was in his hand too.
It can be hard to accept when you’re in the darkest darkness, but your pain is under his control. That’s good news, because it means our suffering has purpose. The world may treat you as damaged goods, but Jesus Christ does not. He can still use you for his glory. He can still cause you to be a blessing to others.
Questions
- Can you think back to times in your life or someone else where God used trauma for his glory?
- How would you react to trauma if you didn’t have the hope that God is in control?
Prayer Points
- Think of someone you know who is going through a traumatic time. Pray that God would bless them as he blessed Daniel.
- Pray that God would work through your experiences so you can be a blessing to others.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.