But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. —Mark 4:37
But Daniel determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. —Daniel 1:8
Storms come in different shapes and sizes. When Babylon takes siege of Jerusalem, they succeed not only in securing the sacred objects in the Temple of God. Babylon captures Jerusalem’s greatest treasure: its children and youths. King Nebuchadnezzar’s army seizes Daniel, his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and the young men of the royal family and settles them in a faraway and foreign land of Babylon. Thousands of miles away from the world of their family and the worship of their faith. The perfect storm.
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When fierce storms arrive, fiery stances arise. When Daniel and his friends are given food and wine from the king’s table, they ask for a substitution: vegetables and water instead. Dishing on the king’s food means dining on food first offered to the Babylonian gods. An option that was unacceptable to Daniel. By requesting a replacement for the status quo food, Daniel stands up for his faith and steps up to own his faith. He does so by saying one of the hardest words in a storm: no.
In a storm, the convention is to cling to the accepted status quo because we don’t want to rock the boat more than we have to. But sometimes, to honor God, we need to shake the boat up.
In the perfect storm, we say no to requirements, realities, relationships, and rewards that do not give God glory. Daniel was prepared to turn down the requirements of food and the reassurance of a comfortable life to keep his relationship with God and receive a far greater reward of keeping himself pure. Daniel desired God more than the fine food and wine the Babylonian captors were offering. In our own life, what do we need more of?
Interestingly, Daniel doesn’t ask for food and wine similar to what everyone else is consuming. Why? Because he doesn’t need it. If our satisfaction and security is in Jesus, we don’t need to feast on the food and wine of the world. Daniel’s brave stand reflects his ideology and integrity: I’m not spiritually and physically hungry for what the world has to offer.
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©️2020 Jordan Su