The Test

Dan.6: ¹⁴ “Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament.”

Life will consistently present you with situations where you are helpless, the question is, what will you do at such time? Yesterday, I told you about my position never to cheat in any examination, right? I was a computer science major but at some point, we had to take on a compulsory language course. The options were French, German, or Latin so most of us chose to do French. On the day of the French exam, my friends teased me, “Monehin”, they said, “the reason you sit in front is because you feel you are sharp but this French, we know you do not know it.  You better sit with us at the back where you can benefit.”

I think I just got saved at the time, which even made matters worse. I did not cheat when I was not saved and now I was saved, there was no way I was going to cheat. This happened over twenty-one years ago, but I can still remember the classroom and the desk I was sitting on that day. For the first time ever, I entered an exam hall shaking and concerned that my grade on this French exam would be an F. But I had done my best to study as much as was possible for a computer student to study for a French exam. We wrote the exam and as God would have it, I passed that exam.  It was a total miracle.  The point is this, there will always be situations in life where you will feel helpless, make up your mind never to compromise God. It is just a test.

Dan.6:¹⁸ “Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.” A time will come when even the most powerful men cannot save you. At such times, it is the faithfulness of God that will be the determinant. Dan.6: ¹⁶ So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you” [with emphasis]. What the king Darius was saying in essence is, as powerful as he was, his hands were tied. If you put off your seeking God until a time when no man can help you, it may be too late. You need to know God and get your answers from God, even when other men can answer the prayers. It is because a time will come when the strongest man on earth cannot help you.

Thought: How can you demonstrate service to God and faithfulness today? What advice can you give to someone that is currently not serving God?

Prayer:  Father, help me to stand for You and never compromise my stand, in Jesus Name. Amen!