The experience of Daniel is very much like that of Joseph. He was taken into captivity but rather than despairing and throwing his faith aside it was here that he applied his faith most effectively. Daniel and his friends served their Babylonian masters faithfully, as Jeremiah 29:5–7 had commanded. As a result, they became a blessing in a cursed place. The covenant that God made with Abraham was fulfilled. They were blessed and became a blessing; a shining light in a dark place. Daniel was taken as a slave but, like Joseph in Egypt, he soon became one of the most influential men in Babylon. The promise of blessing clung to Daniel’s life as it did to Joseph. Whatever situation he was thrown into, however dark and adverse, God’s blessing transformed those situations into something beyond what could have been imagined. The promise is stated is Psalm 84: “As they pass through the Valley of Baca (weeping), they make it a place of springs.” The principle is also stated in Psalm 113 which describes Daniel’s experience quite literally: “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes.” The promise that clung to Joseph and Daniel is the same promise that clings to you. The blessing of God is on your life. It won’t prevent you from entering into dark and troubling situations. But it will transform these situations into something far beyond what you could have imagined.
Ask God to light up whatever difficult situation you may be facing.
Read Daniel 2 again
