How Will You Use a New Year to Glorify and grow closer to Yahweh?
As we embark on the start of yet another new year, what behaviors will we seek to change? What behaviors will you strengthen as you grow your walk with our Heavenly Father?
This new year, Yahweh Whispers looks to the book of Daniel for guidance to strengthen our relationship with our Heavenly Father and continue to solidify our faith.
For background, Daniel as a young Jewish nobleman who was captured when Jerusalem was overtaken by the Babylonians. Because he was of noble birth, he and several other young men were taken to the palace so they could train provide wisdom and support to the king at court.
Daniel (and three of his closest friends) were in a strange country that had established customs very different from the Jewish customs the 3 boys were familiar with.
The Book of Daniel illustrates Daniel’s and his friends’ faithfulness to the Yahweh despite their surroundings. These chapters also clearly demonstrate God’s faithfulness to the four young men as well. Daniel and friends faced various moral dilemmas and challenges, such as whether to eat the king’s food, worship the king’s statue, reveal the king’s dream, or pray to the king. In each case, they chose to obey God rather than compromise their convictions, even at the risk of death. Daniel, in particular, demonstrated wisdom by interpreting dreams and visions revealing a close connection with his Heavenly Father.
The first six chapters of Daniel provides wisdom and confirmation that following Yahweh’s teachings and design for our lives protects us – even in the most trying times. The guidance outlined in these chapters provides direction for our everyday lives and demonstrates the power of faith in Yahweh.
- God is the source of all wisdom and knowledge, and he gives it to those who seek him and honor him (Dan 1:17; 2:20-23).
- God is able to deliver his faithful servants from any danger or persecution, but even if he does not, they should still trust him and worship him alone (Dan 3:17-18; 6:10, 23).
- God opposes the proud and humbles the arrogant, but he exalts the humble and restores the repentant (Dan 4:37; 5:20-23).
- God is in control of the rise and fall of kingdoms and empires, and he will establish his everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed (Dan 2:44; 6:26-27).
Overall, the Book of Daniel exemplifies behaviors in Daniel that we can all use and learn from:
- He was a faithful and obedient servant of God who did not compromise his beliefs or values in a foreign and hostile culture (Daniel 1:8; 6:10).
- He was a gifted and wise interpreter of dreams and visions who acknowledged God as the source of his abilities and insights (Daniel 2:20-23; 4:19; 7:15-16).
- He was a humble and prayerful man who sought God’s will and mercy for himself and his people (Daniel 9:3-19; 10:12).
- He was a courageous and loyal witness of God who endured persecution and trials for his faith and integrity (Daniel 3:16-18; 6:16-23).
- He was a prophetic and visionary messenger of God who revealed God’s plan and purpose for the future of his people and the world (Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14; 9:24-27; 12:1-4).
As we begin yet another new year in a fast-moving world, Yahweh Whispers prays that you will have the strength and wisdom to trust Him in with your decisions and your path forward. Resolutions are usually “me-focused”. This new year, we pray that each of us can commit to one Yahweh focused resolution – adopting a behavior that supports our Heavenly Father’s direction in our lives. We
