Prepared for a Fearless Future

Are you one of those people who like to know what’s around the next bend or do you enjoy surprises? Do you read a story page by page or jump to the end of the book first so you will already have in mind how it turns out? In life we’d love to have every plot line figured out, but we don’t often get an advance picture of the story we’re in. So how can we be prepared for any contingency? Maybe the life of Daniel can give us some insight in this.

Daniel’s single mindedness to trust the One True God never wavered, from his first days as a captive in Babylon to his last as a governing official. In verse 8 of the first chapter we read that as a youth Daniel had made up his mind not to defile himself. His decision to respond this way to the king’s edicts as to what to eat and who and how to worship had been written on his heart before the beginning of his captivity: he would place and keep himself under the Lord’s authority regardless of the circumstances or possible outcome. The objective of his life’s purpose had already been written. Daniel had a heart and mind set apart for the Lord. He would hold fast to God, no matter what.

Daniel encountered numerous fearful scenarios during his tenure under numerous ungodly kings. Times of testing came.  Faced with dire consequences for speaking against popular thought, Daniel never forgot that God keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments. “So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek {Him by} prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.  I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,” (Daniel 9:3-4 NASB)
His fearless response during those times was anchored in God’s faithfulness. Daniel was in the Babylon world, but he was not of it.

When a terrifying message and vision came to him, Daniel didn’t argue with God or scramble to devise a solution for the situation. Instead, he set his heart on gaining understanding from the Lord and humbly place himself under the Lord’s authority. An endurance test of faith ensued and Daniel held fast. He knew the God to whom he prayed was worthy of his devotion and trust.

He prayerfully and contritely submitted himself to God’s holy authority before he ever received an answer. No arguments, no prideful problem solving, no seeking other “protection.” He was not super human. He simply served a Supreme God. Here is God's answer to Daniel, "Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding {this} and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words." (Daniel 10:12, NASB)

When we set our hearts on gaining understanding and humbling ourselves before the Lord RIGHT NOW we abide in a place of fearless security.

Dwelling on what is true and placing ourselves under the authority and protection of God anchors our hearts and minds to the Rock that is higher than ourselves or ANY other thing.

The best time to make preparations for a storm is before it hits.

Days will come when sudden squalls and tempests in the culture will confront us when we least expect them. Challengers will denounce our foundational beliefs.

Now is the time to prepare our hearts and minds to instinctively call upon God in prayer.
Now is the time to study God’s Word to know what you believe and why it is trustworthy. 
Then we will be like the wise man in Luke 6:48 that Jesus talks about saying, “he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”

God’s faithfulness anchors our fearlessness.

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