Last weekend I was away at the Christian Medical Fellowship Junior Doctors Conference. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet new and old friends, gather together, realign our hearts by being reminded of the great gospel which saves us, be encouraged to stand firm and challenged to live confident, morally distinct lives as we seek to be salt and light in a secular NHS.
We were able to hear from a doctor-turned-pastor, Jason Roach, in our main sessions. He opened up the book of Daniel for us. Here are 5 things I have been challenged to think about about as I have come home:
1. Am I willing to go against the grain even when it seems no-one else understands?
Daniel was an exile in a foreign land and he with his friends were selected to be taught in the language and literature of Babylon. Daniel could have been tempted to blend in completely but he was prepared to draw a line and resisted becoming like the culture around him. He was not willing to compromise on some important points. He was confident that God was in charge and in control of the situation he was in. We too are so easily influenced by the culture around us at work, home, amongst friends and with family. The truth that God's control far exceeds any human rule equips us with the strength we need to be different.
We can be confidently distinct because the Lord is in control.
2. Where do I put put my trust and why do I fear man?
In Daniel 2 the King Nebuchadnezzar is troubled by his dreams. He calls all the people he can think of to see if they can tell its meaning. When they fail to deliver he is filled with fury and commands all the wise men of the land to be killed. This includes Daniel. But in the face of death Daniel boldly approaches the angry king and requests some time in order to bring the interpretation to him. But he doesn't leave it there. After this he goes back to his friends and 'told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery' (Dan 2v18 ESV). He has fearless dependence in God - he knows that the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar is temporary, but that he serves a King who rules an everlasting kingdom (Dan 2v44). We live in the confidence of Jesus' victory at the cross where he crushed his enemies, allowing us to enter this everlasting Kingdom! This encourages us to not fear, but to completely depend on our all-sufficient Saviour when we face opposition.
Our dependence should be in God, and when it is we have nothing to fear
3. When I face suffering am I able to say that God is enough for me whatever the outcome? Do I care more about being faithful or about my comfort?
Daniel's friends are faced with a decision in chapter 3. They are commanded to bow down to a huge golden idol with the threat that if they doin't they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. They refuse to bow down because they care more about being faithful to God than their fate. They trust that God can deliver them from the flames (Daniel 3v18) but they do not know for sure that God will. Despite this, for them, serving God was still worth it even if it was to get worse. God may not choose to take us out of the flames of the situation we are in but when we face decisions like this we can look to Jesus. He suffered far beyond anything we will ever suffer - he humbled himself even to the point of death. He chose to follow the will of God the Father for our sakes.
We have a Saviour who is worth serving whatever the cost
4. Am I prepared to warn my friends and colleagues of the stark reality of rejecting the gospel?
Daniel had a challenging job when King Nebuchadnezzar again asks for him to tell the meaning of a dream. The dream has a message that God is going to humble the proud King by causing him to become like a beast. Daniel acknowledges to the king that the message is not going to be easy to hear but shares it nonetheless, and in Daniel 4v27 he urges him to turn away from his sins. When we fail to share the gospel with our friends we are not loving them - for if we truly cared we would want them to share in the same rescue we have, by God's grace.
God humbles the proud, therefore don't give up
5.Which areas of life do I need to give back to God? Am I letting God reign over me so he can reign through me?
A year later the proud King is still exalting himself and his achievements and God's promised humbling comes. Finally King Nebuchadnezzar listens and he lifts his eyes to heaven. He realises that he is not in control and when he realises that it God who reigns, God starts to work through him (Daniel 4v36). when we take a step back we can see a wonderful parallel. By God's grace we do not have to be humbled like King Nebuchadnezzar was because Jesus was humbled in our place. After suffering the death we deserve he rose and conquered death and is now reigning in heaven at God's right hand (Phil 2). He went through what we deserve! When we understand this we should praise Jesus as King.
Knowing Jesus is King is our sanity
