Daniel Prospered

 I was thinking about Daniel this morning. The administrators and princes in the province didn't like Daniel. They couldn't find one thing to fault him in and they looked hard to find some type of accusation. When they couldn't find anything, they made something up. They played on the people-pleasing side of King Darius, who actually liked Daniel. 

They asked the king to decree that no one pray to anything divine or human for except for "your majesty." Doesn't that make you think the king was rather self-serving, pious, and conceited? I mean, he was king - so he could be I guess. But as the story unfolds, it's easier to see the king's shortcomings and Daniel's upright heart.

Daniel could have just not prayed for 30 days. He could have gone to the window and not even opened it, but still prayed. In fact, he could have gone it and opened the window as was his custom and prayed silently. But he didn't. He passed the test because he had integrity with God and with himself. (Side note - if you don't have integrity with yourself - you don't have it with anyone.)

Then, to add insult to injury, when his accusers stood before the king to report that Daniel had broken the fake law, they referred to him as "Daniel, one of the captives of Israel." (Daniel 6:13). They didn't even acknowledge that the king had earlier made him an administrator in the higher levels of the kingdom. (Which is probably why they were mad and sniffly.)

Daniel didn't care. He did not compromise. He didn't bend. He didn't bow to the god of self-preservation, even. At the end of chapter 6, where this story unfolds, we find this phrase, Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius. So what if he was a captive - he still prospered. His dire and oppressive circumstances didn't keep him from being blessed. Neither do ours.

We don't have to give up one thing God has promised us because we became a caregiver. Not one word in the Bible changed, and God did not get off his throne when we started caregiving. He is still our provider. He prospered Daniel, Joseph, and many other Bible heroes, and they were not excluded because of their circumstances. We aren't either.

Today, I will remind myself that God is my provider - still! My thoughts will be on how He still keeps me even in these caregiving years. I'll think about how He didn't change one word in the Bible when caregiving started and He didn't give up the throne of heaven either. My meditations will be on how He is still the keeper of my soul - even in bad or difficult circumstances like Daniel faced. I will be thankful that He will still take care of me today. I can trust Him for one more day - will you join me? 

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Affirmations for Caregivers

• Are you a caregiver?
• Do you know a caregiver?
• Do you need a little encouragement?
• What does God think about you?

Grab a copy of the Affirmations for Caregivers! This devotional journal gives a scripture and an affirmation for every day. It follows up the truth with soul-searching questions and space to write out your personal answers. What a great way to give it to God and trust Him for another day!

Whether you see yourself as a caregiver or not, this affirmation journal will help change your perspective as you give it all to the One who gave you all. Grab a copy and dive in! It's designed to take about 5-10 minutes a day to reflect, think deeply, and lean into His heart a little closer.

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