But chapter 12 has turned it all around for me (though I still don't understand it too well!). Our hero Daniel, faithful in a faithless, pagan culture, has been given these myriad visions, and finally in 12:8 he responds to "the man clothed in linen" (who I assume is the pre-incarnate Christ) "I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, 'My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?'" The Lord responds, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end." (v.9) In other words, "Don't worry about it, Daniel. You don't understand and you're not going to understand any time soon, but just keep on keeping on. Understanding is not a prerequisite to faithfully staying the course."
And then, I read the last verse in Daniel, and it's got to be my favorite! The Lord urges Daniel "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
Did you catch it? "Go your way till the end." That could be Daniel's theme song! Way back in chapter 1, we saw Daniel resolving not to defile himself with the king's food and wine (1:8) and at the end of the chapter, we learned, "Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus." In chapter 6 (Daniel in the lion's den), we see Daniel defying the royal edict to only worship the king. "Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had before." (6:10) Day after day, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, this faithful man has worshipped, obeyed, and served His Lord. The threat of hungry lions does not deter him. The tempting pleasures and delights of a decadent pagan culture cannot deter him. The intrigue of new kings and assassinations and power struggles cannot deter him. Extraordinary busyness when he is the king's adviser cannot deter him. Old age and loneliness and being pushed to the side cannot deter him. He just keeps praying, keeps obeying, keeps loving His God whether he understands what God is doing or not.
And so, this faithful old man, who has been praying 3 times a day and serving His Lord continually for so many years in such a barren and thankless place, refuses to quit no matter how hard the going gets, no matter how dark and confusing the future appears to be. "As for you, go your way till the end." That is exactly what Daniel has done all his life and will do to the end. Perseverance of the saints. I love the definition of this: falling down and getting up. Falling down and getting up. Falling down and getting up--all the way to heaven.
Winston Churchill, in one of his most famous speeches delivered during the darkest days of World War II, expressed this in a way I'll never forget. He stood to address a graduating class and simply but urgently declared: "Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never give up."
We would do well to take his words to heart as Christians. We may not understand what God is doing. We may wonder why truth is "forever on the scaffold" and evil forever on the throne. We may grow weary in the battles of life. We may feel like the heavy burdens placed upon us are simply too much. But Daniel would urge us to keep going your way till the end. From the perspective he has now, he would encourage us that all the struggle and confusion and difficulty will someday be more than worth it. This is nothing profound, but sometimes I just need to be reminded not to quit. Not to give up or give in or give out. If Daniel can make it all the way to the end, then so can we. We have the same almighty God who enables us and sustains us. He has promised--and we can count on it. All the way to the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment