During the pandemic lockdowns, I spent part of the summer teaching through the book of Daniel on Zoom. This summer, I am preaching through the book on Sunday mornings because it seems like it speaks directly to some of the fears and anxieties we are facing in our culture today. The book follows the life of Daniel, who was a child of Jewish nobility when the Babylonian empire conquered Judea. The Babylonians took the best and brightest of the population away into captivity and had them serve the Babylonian empire, which is far from their homeland. Now, it might not seem as though the subject matter would speak to us today directly, because we aren’t fighting a war to push off invaders, none of us are being taken from our homes, etc. However, the history is presented with a major focus on the fact that despite all appearances to the contrary, God is in control of everything. That’s not a small thing to be assured of in disastrous circumstances. Now, it’s necessary to make a disclaimer with this. God doesn’t make bad things happen. He doesn’t orchestrate car wrecks or inflict disease on people for fun like a giant kid with a magnifying glass burning ants. The conversation about why bad stuff happens is big, messy, and would likely not fit well in this newspaper column. I would love to converse with anyone interested if they want to sit down for coffee sometime. The book of Daniel doesn’t delve into the topic, mainly because the destruction was a direct result of Judah rebelling against God, so they were taken into captivity after being conquered. The cool thing about the book though, is that time and again God shows up to take care of the children in the story who are faithful to him. Time and again, we are told that God chooses who will be king, which nations will rise, which will fall, and how everything will turn out. I think that is the piece we need to pay close attention to in the book, because it speaks to us today where we are. It seems as though people are scared and angry. The general agitation level in our culture is rising. I had an older friend call me the other night in tears about the direction the world is heading and what it would mean for their children. The thing is, it wasn’t the first conversation like that I’ve had. I think the start of the problem is the unusual time we are living in, between the pandemic, political unrest, financial worries, dire warnings about the environment, corruption in the government, and everything else that’s happening all at once, and it seems like no one is driving the bus while we careen down the freeway. To make matters worse, the entire news and information industry has begun to work on a model that feeds on that fear and outrage. The idea is that if we’re terrified or outraged about what’s happening to us, then we will tune in and watch. This way of “reporting” the news has lit a fire in our culture. Social media’s echo chamber, and our newfound ability to say nasty things without looking each other in the eyes, has poured gas on that flame. In the middle of all of that, I am reading Daniel’s assurances that God is in control. Judah was sacked because God allowed it. Babylon rose to power because God allowed it. When God decrees their destruction, Babylon falls. If God is God, then the weather, viruses, politicians, floods, the stars in the sky, grasshoppers in fields, and everything else cannot operate without His knowledge. Does this mean God makes bad things happen? I don’t think so. He doesn’t make us sin or ruin the world we live in. We make choices that make the world better or worse and He allows us. What it does mean is that He is there, He is watching, and He cares. It is not a promise of ease or comfort. Rather, it is a promise that we can lean on Him, grow in faith, and trust He is steering things. Also, if He is good, it means we can trust in the outcome. That is a great comfort in a life that seems random and scary.
