Daniel was fifteen years old when the prince of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, took him as a slave to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed his city and the temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Many of his people were killed and dispersed to many places, including Babylon. The Bible did not say what happened to his parents and relatives during this time, but more than likely, they were taken captive and placed in other parts of Babylon. Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were taken and kept in the king's court to be trained for three years to serve Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonians would try to brainwash them, strip them of their Jewish heritage, and gave them Babylonian identity. They changed Daniel's name to Belteshazzar, Hananiah, Shadrach, Mishael, Meshach, and Azariah, Abed-nego. Their given name was related to the gods of Babylon.
God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the city of Jerusalem and the temple because of the rebellion of the Jewish people against Him. God sent prophets to the Jews to repent of their sins and stop worshipping other idols, yet they disregarded them. As a result, God had to discipline them by allowing Nebuchadnezzar to destroy their cities and temple and take them to Babylon as captives for seventy years. After seventy years, God would bring them back to their land and rebuild it. It must have been dreadful for Daniel to be taken captive, not knowing what would happen to him. However, as we study the book of Daniel, God had a better plan in the life of Daniel while He was in captivity. There are times when God allows us to go through difficult challenges in life because it is part of His wonderful plan in our lives.
When we go through our challenges in life, let us not doubt the goodness of our Heavenly Father because God has something for us to learn or discover about our relationship with Him. We will learn from Daniel that He never lost his faith in God, but it strengthened his faith in God, and he was able to experience the power of God working in and through him.
Ask yourself these questions: Do I trust the goodness of God in my life? What should I do when I am going through a difficult situation in my life?
Write down all the worries that you are facing today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you that you are always in control in every situation in my life. Please help me not doubt your goodness in my life, especially when you allow me to go through difficult situations. In your name Jesus, I pray. Amen.