Written by Wendy Neill, Advancement Coordinator for Iron Rose Sister Ministries
Immigrants, refugees, and exiles are found throughout the Bible. Abraham, Ruth, and Daniel all ended up living as foreigners, far away from home.
Daniel was part of the first deportation after the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 1:1-2). It seems unfair that Daniel, a true follower of God, had to suffer for the sins of Judah’s leaders, but he did. We often do too.
Daniel found a balance between peacefully submitting to this new earthly power and still remaining faithful to God (1:8). He was able to discern the difference between adjusting to a new language, new customs, new clothing, and more while still being a citizen of God’s heavenly kingdom. He drew the line at defiling himself with the king’s food (chapter 1), he continued to pray even when it was against the law (chapter 6), and he spoke the truth, even when it put him in mortal danger (chapters 2, 4, and 5).
God is very active in Daniel’s story. He caused the chief court official, Ashpenaz, to show favor and sympathy to Daniel (1:9) and he gave Daniel knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret visions and dreams (1:17, 2:19). He dramatically saved Daniel from a horrific death by shutting the mouths of the lions (7:22).
Many of you reading this are far from home. You may be an immigrant, a refugee, or an exile. You might long for home, though you can’t go back — at least not for now. In reality, we are all living on foreign soil. Heaven is our home. We have to find ways to balance humble submission to earthly powers while remaining faithful to our true King. God is sovereign over all nations and is always near and at work. Daniel’s story is HIStory. So is yours.
Do you feel like a foreigner where you are living right now? How well do you balance humble submission to earthly powers while remaining faithful to your true King?