«I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one» (John 17:15).
HOW CAN WE LIVE IN THIS WORLD without being part of it? In Christ’s priestly prayer, recorded in John 17, the Lord prays to the Father, not for Him to take us out of the world, but to «keep us from the evil one.» But how can that ideal be attained without losing our identity as «strangers and pilgrims» in the process?
The experience of Daniel and his three friends in Babylon can help us, because not only did those Hebrew young men manage to survive, but they also stood out in a completely heathen culture; a culture where their faithfulness to God could be in constant conflict with their loyalty to the king. At what point did they draw the «red line» beyond which they would not cross without tainting their testimony as representatives of the true God? Daniel Juram suggests an interesting answer to these questions in his theater play In a Den of Lions.
In his theatrical piece Juram presents Ashpenaz, chief of King Nebuchadnezzar’s eunuchs, saying that he will do everything he can to turn the four young Hebrews into Chaldeans. When Daniel and his friends find out about the plan, they discuss among themselves how to be Chaldeans without ceasing to be Hebrews and, even more importantly, without denying God. After thinking about it, Daniel says «In every way that is unimportant, let them make us Chaldeans. »
«Do they want to change our names? Let them! Do they want to change the way we dress? Let them! Do they want to teach us about their culture? Let them!. . .» In other words: «They can try to change everything they want, as long as our identity as ambassadors of the true King is not jeopardized.» And that was how it was. When it was time for them to be tested with their food, they were not defiled. When Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were commanded to bow down before the golden statue, they did not submit. When the decree forbidding petitions to be made to «any god or man» except for the king was established, Daniel continued praying (Daniel 6: 7, 10).
But it does not end there. In Jurman’s play, Daniel states, «Let them teach us their culture, but let us teach them what it is to be faithful to the one true Lord of all.» And my, how they did so!
How should we then live in the world without being of the world? By remembering at least three things. One, that Christ’s prayer is not to take us out of the world, but to keep us from evil. Two, that the «red line» should clearly show which parts of culture we can allow without dishonoring the Lord. And three, that we will teach the world what it means to be representatives of the one true God!
Dear heavenly father, please help me not to compromise my principles no matter where I am today; and help me to teach the world who the one true God is.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
