Ordinary People: Daniel

This week, we welcome Mike White, member of the best home church, as he shares about the story of Daniel in the lions den.

Home Church Questions:

1. What stood out to you from this week's teaching?

2. Read Daniel 6 (preferably in multiple translations). What stands out to you from this passage?

3. Have you ever been targeted or punished for your faith? Do you know someone who has? What was that like? How did you/they handle it?

4. Faith isn't knowing that there will be an emergency exit but knowing that, when there is no emergency exit, God is there with us. What does it mean to have an "even if he does not" kind of faith?

5. Pray with and for one another, our church community, and our world.

Instagram: @theharbournewmarket
Website: theharbournewmarket.ca
Email: david@theharbournewmarket.ca

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:23

Dave didn't tell me that I was gonna have to follow Brooke. Let me open with a word of prayer. Lord, as we uh as we open your word, we pray that uh you, your Holy Spirit, will clear away the distractions and thoughts and concerns and worries that we may have, that we may focus on the message that you have in store for us. And Lord, we pray too and ask that that I that I what I say, the words of my lips, uh the thoughts that I have, that I may be a pure vessel for your Holy Spirit. And Lord, we know that your word doesn't return to you empty, and may it fulfill the purpose for which you sent it. Amen. So uh I'd like to go back to uh 2007. At that point in my life, I made a decision to leave my 25-year career in for-profit telecommunications, sales, and marketing, and um go into Christian not-for-profit. So I joined World Vision and was heading up their major gifts team. And at that time there was a fellow on my team, his name was Kevin Garrett, and he lived in Abbotsford with his wife Julia and their sons, who were sort of late teens, early 20s. They had uh just about a few years prior come back from 20 years of missionary work in mainland China, where they had been teaching English, and along the way, as you might imagine, Kevin had picked up fluency in Mandarin Chinese. And it wasn't long after I joined, so it was about 2008, they felt the draw to go back to the mission field, and so they went back to uh northeast China to a city named Dandong, which was just across the border from North Korea, and he opened what he called Peter's Cafe. In August, about six years later, in August of 2014, they accepted a dinner invitation, went out for dinner, and they never went home. They were apprehended by Chinese authorities and taken to a residential surveillance at a designated place. And if you were reading a spy thriller, you would probably read the words dark site or black site was basically where they were taken to. And so in this site, they were kept in separate rooms and were not able to communicate to each other. They were, the lights in those rooms were on, 24-7. There was a guard in the room with them, 24-7. The windows had opaque material over them, so they couldn't see out. There was light coming in, but they couldn't see out. They were interrogated about six hours a day and in the afternoon given paper and pencil to write out their confession from that morning's interrogation. And Kevin said that at multiple points he had been threatened with actual execution. Now, connecting some dots, going back to Peter's cafe, so it was a place of, well, they served Western food, and it was sort of this low-key witness where there was some on the down low some discipleship, and also being close to the border with North Korea, um, Kevin was would smuggle in Bibles and food and supplies to the North Koreans. Unbeknownst to Kevin and Julia, a month before their apprehension, which was August 4th, 2014, so in July of 2014, at the behest of the Americans, Canada arrested a Chinese national named Su Bin and extradited him to the U.S. on charges of espionage. So you have to believe that the Chinese authorities knew what Kevin and Julia were up to, despite their attempts to remain discreet and discreet about it all. And so the question is, you know, were these two things, was there a coincidence? I don't think so. I think there was uh some definite connection there. So um after about three months of this situation, Kevin and Julia were allowed 10 or 15 minutes together under strict explicit instructions that they were not to talk about what they were going through. And all Kevin was able to say to Julia was, whatever you're going through, I'm going through as well. And those words would prove to be a lifeline for Julia in the ensuing months. They had some other lifelines. Uh Kevin had argued strenuously with the Chinese officials when they were being apprehended to allow for them to allow them to bring their Bibles, which he successfully did. So he was able to keep, and studying God's word was was a source of great comfort for them. They were allowed to go out for walks during the day separately, and when Kevin would go out, when it had snowed, he would trace the outline of a heart in the snow, and so that was a source of some comfort for for Julia in that in that um time. But neither of them knew whether the other was actually alive at that time. So catching up with where I'm at. What happened after about six to seven months of this situation, Julia um was informed that she was going to be released under house arrest, but was not going to be able to leave China. She and Kevin were allowed a visit together, and I guess sort of like one last visit through this situation. And um as she returned to her room, as she was learning that Kevin was going to be detained, he he was not being released, uh obviously in anguish, she goes into her room and sees on the opaque window um two drops of water running down the window, which she took as more or less indicative of these are tears of God, more or less echoing through action Kevin's words earlier, whatever you're going through, I'm going through as well. So in the meantime, Kevin remained imprisoned and was was not. Well, he was formally charged with espionage and then was sent to a regular detention center, a prison. And they wrote a they wrote a book about this that they called Two Tears on the Window. And in that book, Kevin described the conditions of the jail cell, which was that there were 12 or 14 inmates in his cell with just barely enough room to move between the beds. The shower was a sprinkler in the ceiling with a drain in the floor, and you got to shower every other day. So the inmates whose turn it was to shower would stand in the circle around the stream of unheated water, and you'd take turns going in, getting wet, coming out, lathering up, and then when it was your turn again, you'd go in and rinse off. Any supplies you needed toothpaste, toothbrush, toilet paper, were not provided. You had to have someone from the outside provide those for you. So Kevin is stuck with this situation. He has no trial. He continues to be interrogated. He doesn't know if he's ever going to get out of prison, and he's just simply stuck there. And as you might imagine, this would be an incredibly difficult situation, circumstance for Kevin and Julia to go through. And thankfully, none of us will ever experience a situation like that in our Western comfort. Now, that's not to say there are Christians in our world who are persecuted, and sadly, this sort of thing does go on. We do face some challenges, and there are times when our faith can pose challenges for us. So, for example, you might be in a work situation where you're being asked to shade the finances to make it look a bit more profitable or rosy than it is. Or you may be aware that that's happened and be coerced into remaining silent about it. You could have a situation where you're either forced to hire somebody who uh has not followed you process or it's a biased hire, or that you know of a hire that's come in under those circumstances. And and again, you're you're faced with this decision and this angst of will I remain faithful? What you know, what where is God in this? And and we might be tempted to walk away from our faith or to not continue to exercise our faith. So it can be um it can be a challenge. Speaking out to authority could expose you to, you know, perhaps some more minor risks of you might be ostracized, you might be ridiculed, um, or even worse, uh you might miss a promotion or you could end up losing your job. It that it occurred to me as I was writing this that it actually happened to me a few years ago. Um, there was a situation at work where my staff came to me quite concerned that uh our boss had made an unethical decision, and it it seemed pretty clear to me. So I went to our in-house legal counsel and discussed it with them, and we came up with a compromise solution, which I brought to my boss, but my boss was not happy. Um, and I'll continue that story a bit a bit later. But in any situation like this, um, if you've flown, you know that there's a there's a safety briefing at the start of the flight, and one of the key things they do is point out where the emergency exits are. And in situations like this, and I'm sure it was true for Kevin and Julia, that you might wish to have an emergency exit. Now, Daniel um faced a similar emotional ordeal, and um in it's it's documented in Daniel chapter six, so I'm just going to read the first part of that now. Dave observed that I brought an old school real Bible, but you can follow along on your on your phones if you have it on your phone. So, chapter six, starting one, and I'm going to read through to 18. Darius the Mead decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king's interests. Daniel soon proved himself to be more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel's great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs. But they couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. So they concluded: our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion. So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, Long live King Darius. We are all in agreement. We administrators, officials, high officers, advisors, and governors, that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days, any person who prays to anyone, divine or human, except to you, your majesty, will be thrown into the Den of Lions. And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed. An official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked. So King Darius signed the law. But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down, as usual, in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Then the officials went together to Daniel's house and found him praying and asking for God's help. So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human, except to you, your majesty, will be thrown into the den of lions? Yes, the king replied, That decision stands. It is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked. Then they told the king, That man, Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day. Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of his day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. In the evening the men went together to the king and said, Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed. So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you. A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn't sleep at all that night. That's the new living translation, if you were wondering what I was reading. What I'd like to uh point out and focus on to start with is how that passage opens, how Daniel was found without flaw. He carried out his duties in an exemplary way. Um there was no corruption, no negligence, and the uh other the um other meads, the other um administrators and satraps, there were other words for them in uh that passage, uh, couldn't find any fault with Daniel through that. And it's uh interesting to see that even thousands of years ago, off his politics were alive and well, and they wanted to find some some fault that they could accuse him of, and they decided that they had to resort to accusing him on the basis of his faith. And I I was sort of a bit convicted as as I read that, if someone was looking for a basis on which to accuse me, would my faith be so evident that they might be able to use that as a basis of argument, or might they find a more convenient way to do it through my own competency or or uh accuracy in my work. It so on hearing this, um Daniel had a um a decision to make, and he determined that despite well he determined he he could decide to either not pray at all for the next 30 days, he could decide to pray to Darius for the next 30 days, or he could have closed the windows and locked the door so the other administrators wouldn't be able to see what uh what he was doing. But Daniel was determined that he was going to remain faithful, and it and an interesting point in that passage is that as he went up and prayed, the words are that just as he always had done, and that's in verse 10. And so it's important to note that this wasn't some sort of foxhole conversion on his part. Um, this was a long-standing instinctive practice for Daniel to um to pray in this way. So he um remained determined that despite the circumstances and the obvious risk that he was going to remain faithful and continue his usual practice. And so what um we're not seeing for Daniel um that there's any uh emergency exit for him. He's in this situation and he is continuing on with uh with it. So let me go back to the passage and finish uh Daniel. So I'm gonna read verses 19 to 28. Very early the next morning the king got up and hurried out to the lion's den. When he got there, he called out in anguish, Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue from the lions? Daniel answered, Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lion's mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight, and I have not wronged you, your majesty. So the king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God. Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lion's den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den. Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world. Peace and prosperity to you. I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves his people, he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions. So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. The word of the Lord. Then they talked about sealing the stone so that no one could rescue him. Then the morning after his sleepless night, and he runs out, you know, did God rescue you? And then finally, in his proclamation, the decree that he sent to the entire world, he refers to God as a God who rescues and references that God had rescued Daniel. And I want to be clear that I don't believe this passage is telling us that it's not telling us that if we are faithful, that God will rescue us. Sometimes there is no emergency exit. What this passage is telling us is that faith isn't knowing that there will be an emergency exit. Faith is knowing that when there is no emergency exit, God will be there with us. And this is echoed as well in earlier in the book of Daniel, in chapter 3, uh, where Nebuchadnezzar had renamed Daniel and two of his uh exiles from Judah, and they were called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And Nebuchadnezzar had erected a golden idol, and everyone was supposed to bow down and worship it. And what uh they said to Nebuchadnezzar was uh Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and I'm reading uh Chad. Chapter 3 verses 16 and 17. They replied, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown in to the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, your majesty. And then verse 18 is the is, I think, the interesting part here says, But even if he doesn't, even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, your majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up. So they had determined well in advance that they were going to continue to be faithful. And as Daniel exits the lion's den, he is able to say to Darius that God had sent an angel and shut the mouths of the lion. So the spoiler alert is that I believe that what the key message from this passage is that faith isn't knowing or believing that if you're faithful, God will provide an emergency exit or a rescue. Faith is knowing that even when there is no emergency exit, that God will be there with us. So let's go back to the story of Kevin and Julia. Rescue doesn't always look like we might have expected and prayed. Kevin had spent at this point almost a year in prison after Julia had been released. Then in April of 2016, his trial is set and he describes the experience as being somewhat surreal. He's not able to talk to his legal representative. It seems like almost a foregone conclusion, but then the trial ends nothing. Crickets. He's back, sent back to prison, and for five months he languishes in this state of not knowing what's going to happen. Then behind the scenes, um, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in in August of 2016, had gone over to China to do some diplomatic efforts. And consequently, on September 13th, 2016, Kevin was finally, um, he'd already been charged, he was convicted of espionage and sentenced to eight years in prison. Two days later, he's released and deported, put on a plane, and sent back to Canada to be reunited with Julia and his kids. And he said he didn't believe it until he actually left Chinese airspace that he was being that he was being released. So, you know, he had this un this time of like, what's happening? Am I going to be executed? Um and it was over 775 days of his of him being incarcerated that way. So what we see in Kevin and Julia is, you know, their 20 plus years of missionary service, their deep faith, their walk with God, um, that had given them the steely determination to not abandon their faith and not give up on God. So they they kept up that walk and stayed close to him through that time. And and God met with them in that situation, in that ordeal. We, you know, we heard about, well, they were able to keep the Bibles and study those. They, um, the statement that Kevin was able to make to Julia in that brief encounter that whatever you're going through, I'm going through too. Um, the heart outprints in the snow that Kevin was able to make, and and the two tears on the window, which seemed to be evocative of God echoing Kevin's words in physical form, whatever you're going through, I'm going through as well. So it I think while there was no uh emergency exit for them, God was able to redeem that situation. And what happened, Kevin estimates that between 60 and 80 other prisoners cycled through that cell that he was in, and with his fluency in Mandarin, he was able to share with them the reason for his hope in Jesus. And in the case of Daniel, God redeemed what happened to Daniel in that we saw the proclamation that Darius sent to the entire world in all their languages, telling people to fear and revere, and more or less proclaiming this testimony towards the uh the God that Daniel served and worshipped. So, as I've said, we may not ever face circumstances, situations as dire uh or life-threatening as Daniel did or Kevin and Julia did with uh threats of execution. Um, but we may face situations that are challenging that do lead us to question our faith. And um the exhortation I would have is for us is to maintain that steely determination to maintain our faith, to lean into our walk with God, to stay close in prayer and studying his word and and Christian fellowship, things like home church can be um can be a huge boost in those circumstances to and to look for God in those situations. And maybe he'll send an angel, maybe there'll be other situations that um that will be a source of comfort of God's presence in that circumstance. And know too that whatever your suffering is, God will redeem it, as it says in Romans chapter 8, verse 28, God works all things to the good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Now, in what happened to me, um I'm the story I mentioned where I had um kind of called my boss on an unethical decision, uh, it was a couple of months later, after a bit of gaslighting from this boss, that I logged on to a Zoom call for my bi-weekly update. And instead of just my boss there, there was the chair of the board and the director of HR, and uh they informed me that my services would no longer be required. And as we say so glibly in our in our modern parlance, uh, we're going in a different direction. Uh but for me, the home church and Diane's encouragement was a huge source of encouragement for me, and God was able to redeem that. So, not long after, I landed a short-term gig as uh as the president of a Christian leadership development organization. And then about a year after that happened, I uh landed the job I currently have now with World Renew, which is a Christian um relief and development organization, and I actually have like twice the responsibility that I'd had before. So God was able to redeem that. So to conclude, uh, we are going to face in our life as we live faithfully to God, we will encounter situations of persecution and injustice. Um and the calling, the opportunity is for us to remain faithful, to stay close to our in our walk to God, uh, to lean on Christian fellowship, to look for redemption in that situation. And know that uh even that faith isn't knowing that there will be an emergency exit, but it is knowing when there is no emergency exit for us that God is there with us. Amen.