This week I was challenged by a lesson I heard on Daniel because it spoke directly to a hard place I was enduring with a family member. It has been a long arduous battle of wills on the chessboard of our relationship. Every move, a decision of well-determined positioning.

And if I’m honest with myself, our struggle stems from unmet expectations on both sides of the fence. So we continue to wrestle through the emotional storm of disappointment day in and day out. 

All too often, I feel the tug of defeat. It whispers to my tired soul to give up and give in. Even so, I believe that God has something good for each of us on the other side of this pain. This struggle. This really hard place. So I resolve to endure another day.

Our example of being faithful in a hard place is found in Daniel, chapter 1, when King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. As a result, men were chosen, namely Daniel and his friends, and taken to the foreign land of Babylon and into the king’s service to be trained for three years. 

Immediately, Daniel found himself in a hard place, caught between loyalty and duty as he was called to choose between character and compromise. At the onset, Daniel’s name was changed to give honor to a pagan god. A complete affront to a Hebrew man of God. To add insult to injury, he was then required to eat royal food from the king’s table which was also an affront to a Hebrew man of God as this would defile him physically and spiritually.

Although Daniel couldn’t change what they called him, we see him make a calculated move to maintain some piece of his true identity by requesting he and his friends be faithful to their Hebrew practices of consumption.

Fearing his job and even his life, the royal official in charge questioned this allowance. So Daniel took a diplomatic approach and posed a challenge—a trial period of ten days to prove they would be healthier and more nourished than those who ate the royal food. 

This decision was more than an act of obedience. It was a defining move that gave God room in the situation to work, and to prove who holds the power on the chessboard of heaven and earth.

Undeniably, Daniel and his friends were in a hard place. And yet, Daniel remained faithful by taking the lead and quietly proclaiming his loyalty with a firm resolve to obedience. In following his lead, his friends learned how to walk through their own hard places. In fact, in later chapters, we see this play out when they are thrown into the fiery furnace (read the full account of their deliverance in Daniel, chapter 3).

In the end, it was the calculated move made in a difficult place that provided an opportunity for God to prove His presence and His power. Although it appeared that the king of Babylon was in control of the situation, the final move was made by God, the king of Creation—checkmate! 

Hugs for a great week and remember, you are not alone. Be blessed as you learn to be faithful in the hard places.