https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XHSwltNglY 1:49 – 2:25
In this clip, Captain America and Black Widow are running from some bad guys. Instead of their superhero suits, they wear regular clothes. Captain America has a cap and glasses, and Black Widow wears a hood. They do this to stay hidden, blending in with the crowd so they don’t attract attention.
Let me ask you: Have you ever tried to blend in with everyone else so you wouldn’t stand out or feel embarrassed?
When something about us makes us stand out-like how we look, dress, act, talk, laugh, or even what we believe, we often feel the urge to hide and blend in. That’s understandable. Being different can make us feel exposed or worried about being teased or called weird. People might even ask, “Are you begging for attention?” It’s normal to want to fit in so we don’t stand out too much.
It’s okay to blend in sometimes. You don’t have to speak up about everything. But when it comes to your faith in Jesus, you shouldn’t hide it.
Let’s see why this is in Daniel:
Daniel 6:10: 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 done before.
So, here’s the context. This happened straight after a law was passed, where if you worshipped anyone except for the king of the time, King Darius, you’d be thrown into the lion’s den. Worship the king or die.
Daniel knew this. And what was the first thing he did when he learnt about this? He opened his window and prayed, unashamed of following God. Everyone saw him. Think of what the people walking by and looking up would be saying. Would they be praising or applauding him? Probably not! In fact, the other officials who made this law immediately went to rat him out.
Following Jesus means that you will stand out. Compared to others, there will be something different about us in the way we act, speak, think and treat others because what did Jesus say?
Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
We are not supposed to hide our faith.
1 Peter 2:9 says, “but you are a chosen people, a holy nation”
Leviticus 19:2 says, “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy”
The word holy means to be set apart. Jesus was radically different from the rest of the world in the way He lived. Holy and set apart. If we claim to follow him, should our lives not also look radically different? And because our lives look different, we will get questioned. We will face disagreement from people who don’t like Jesus. Not everyone will be nice about the fact that you follow Jesus. Obviously, not every non-Christian will give you a hard time for it, but some people will give you pressure for standing up for Jesus.
In Daniel’s case, it was the other officials.
Daniel 6:5: Finally, these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
These officials knew the only way to take down Daniel was to use his unwavering faith against him. And because he was unafraid to stand up for God, he got thrown into the lion’s den. He knew this would happen, yet he still chose to live his Christian life publicly with no shame. Why is that?
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12)
Paul wrote this in jail for being a Christian! See, when we claim to follow Jesus boldly and get laughed at, mocked, challenged or persecuted, don’t be alarmed or discouraged, because Jesus himself was persecuted.
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. (John 15:18)
There will be a cost to following Jesus, and Jesus emphasises this repeatedly:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 6:24)
You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22)
Time and time again, Jesus emphasises that if you stand up for Him, unashamed and unafraid, you will get pressure and backlash for it. Obviously, not every non-Christian will get on your back about following Jesus, but some will. There will be people who don’t like the fact that you follow Jesus. And that’s ok. Because God has your back.
God’s got your back
Daniel 6:23: The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
Daniel trusted in God because he knew that God had his back. He stood up for God faithfully because he knew God was greater than the pressure others were giving him. And he survived the lion’s den.
We actually see a similar story a few chapters earlier in Daniel 3. Who here has heard of the three men in the fire? In that story, 3 men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were faced with a similar situation to Daniel. Worship the king or get thrown into a blazing furnace of fire. Here’s how they responded.
Daniel 6:17-18: If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. (18) But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Such strong faith, knowing that God has their back. And even if they were to die in the fire, they still trusted in God, because they knew God was bigger than the situation they were in.
Their ability to remain faithful was not because of who they were, but because of who they knew God was. They were able to rely and depend on God because of who God is.
A faithful, compassionate, saving God, who has authority and control over all things. A God who is reliable and has your back. A God who doesn’t abandon his people.
A God who saw the wreck that humanity was, and instead of giving up on us, decided to give His one and only Son, so that whoever may believe in Him can have Eternal life.
Here is what Jesus said in John 16:33:
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Jesus has overcome the world!
He is greater than the pressure others give you. He is greater than the hardships we face in life. Jesus is in the mix with us through the trials and suffering. We know that because Jesus also suffered. Tremendously.
Unjustly accused, mocked, spat on, whipped, beaten. Forced to carry a heavy cross uphill, with barely any clothes, then nailed to that rugged cross with a crown of thorns, and on that cross, He is pierced in the side by a spear. On that cross he died, so we may live.
So, we get to receive comfort and joy in the fact that God has our back, in whatever situation we are in. We can trust in Him because of what He has already done. No matter the circumstance or situation you are in, our hope can rest in Jesus because He has died and risen from the grave, defeating death and sin.
Because we know God’s love and faithfulness are not dependent on what circumstances we find ourselves in, but the fact that he sent his one and only Son for us. That we have hope for eternal life that can be found in Jesus.
Romans 8:38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, (39) neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We will always be able to rely on Jesus because He is always there, no matter what kind of challenges from others are thrown our way. We will always have assurance in Him, like Daniel did, because He is faithful, steadfast and reliable. Because he has our back.
Be faithful in declaring God.
So be faithful in declaring God. Like Daniel, who was willing to stand up for God despite being thrown into the lion’s den. Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were willing to stand up for God despite being thrown into the fire. Like Jesus, who said, “not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
We all stand up for something. Our favourite sports team, our favourite movie, our friends and family.
When chatting about sports, I stand up for the teams I support, even though they are horrible. I still declare that I follow them. Maybe it’s the same for you.
But don’t forget to stand up to the one thing that matters the most. Stand up for Jesus. Tell others about him, be unafraid in your faith, even if you get backlash from it. Trust in God, because no matter what happens, He has our back, and we have eternal hope in Him.
