This week we will be sharing about Major Prophet Daniel who was taken into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon to serve in the royal palace. 

Take a moment to meditate on this week’s scripture verses. 

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬, ‭8‬, ‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.”

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭2‬:‭25‬, ‭27‬-‭28‬, ‭45‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬, ‭24‬-‭25‬, ‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭6‬:‭16‬, ‭19‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

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‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Looking at this photo I see strong sea shells that have been shaped over time by the ocean. We too are strong and overtime have been shaped by our faith. We can stand taller and stronger knowing the God of all peace is in control. I also see a pair of sunglasses. Those glasses can change our perception of the sun. We have the choice to put them on or take them off. Perception is a choice. 

Martin Luther King Jr. has written, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at the goal.”

I pray each of us will choose to walk in God’s peace and rely on His strength with each new day. We know that only God can give us that strength to accomplish our goals as we read in ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Will you choose to seek God through the process of reaching your goals?

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the process of reaching my goals through Your strength and for Your glory. I desire to seek You in all that I do. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A tree can be a symbol of hope. Not only are trees made by God but they are also designed to transform over the years to become big and strong. I want us to reflect on four key words from this verse in Romans.

Hope: A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

Joy: A feeling of great pleasure.

Peace: Freedom from disturbance; tranquility.

Trust: Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.

I encourage us all to pick a word to focus on today. When we start to feel discouraged, sad, or worried may this verse transform our feelings to bring us joy, to place our trust in God so that we can experience peace and hope.

What do the coming days look like for you? Maybe you have a long to-do list. Maybe your calendar is full of appointments. Perhaps not much is planned, either way, looking at a full week can be exhausting. Good news, each day has been given its own date with 24 hours. We can take it one day, one hour at a time. Treat each day as a gift. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the gift of today. I desire to trust in You and what You have planned for me today so that I can experience Your peace and hope. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

One of my favorite promises to stand on is from Philippians 4:13. We tend to overlook the verse that it follows, Philippians 4:12 NIV — I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

The definition of contentment; a state of happiness and satisfaction. Contentment and the gift of peace could look different for so many. It may be free of addiction, or financial freedom, or a wayward child comes home, or a marriage mended, or a loved one saved, or a cancer patient healed. As humans, we think we know what contentment looks like, so we continually strive for more. We tend to become unsettled and are no longer at peace with ourselves when our idea of contentment changes. 

I encourage you this week to evaluate what contentment looks like for you. Ask God to settle your heart and give you His perfect peace. There are days when your Journey to peace is longer than others, remember that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You that I can do all things through You who strengthens me. Settle my heart and give me peace that only You can offer. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Sunday was International Day of Peace, also known as “World Peace Day.” We live in a world full of sin and turmoil. Thankfully God has equipped leaders to lead our nations. Deborah, Ray, and I have been reading through the Bible in a year with Tara-Leigh Coble and The Bible Recap. Today we finished day 266 and we haven’t even started the New Testament yet. It amazes me to read about all the biblical kings and their destruction. It has made me thankful for our current day. 

In looking at today’s key verse, we know that God is in control. When we recite the Pledge of Allegiance, we say, “one nation under God.” Although we have different religions throughout the world, we have one Creator. The Psalms instruct us to be still and know that God is God and He will be exalted. How comforting is that!

I leave you with a challenge to pray for our nations and the leadership. Let’s join together to humbly seek peace. May we spur on the hope and peace that only God can provide.

Let’s pray. Dear God, I surrender our nations and leadership to You. I humbly come before You and seek the peace and hope that only You can provide. Equip our leaders to make decisions for Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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