Lions' Dens Survival Principles > Part 11

Maintaining the Vision

“. . .The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.” — Daniel 2:44 (NIV)

One of the first things that is lost in difficult times and hostile circumstances is our vision of ultimate victory. No matter how many times we read the promises of God’s Book, no matter how familiar the “glory songs” of the Christian faith are to us, they all tend to vanish like breath during adversity.

Daniel knew hard times. It was no fun having the hated Babylonians sweep into his homeland, demolish his city, slaughter the warriors, rape his female kin, steal the plunder, poke out the eyes of his king, and drag Daniel and his compatriots off as slaves. It was no fun for a faithful, Jewish youth to be forced to eat non-Kosher food and learn the language and pagan ways of idolaters. It was no fun having to give up his name, Daniel, which meant “God is my Judge” for Belteshazzar, which glorified the pagan god Bel!

Through the king’s dream Daniel received a “victory vision” of the future that not only drove Nebuchadnezzar to his knees (2:46), but also provided perspective to Daniel for the rest of His life. It was the vision of an unshakable kingdom that God was bringing to earth, one that would shatter all other kingdoms and last forever.

The survival principle is this: The more oppressive the circumstances, the more crucial it is to maintain a vision of the ultimate victory.

Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napolean, Chairman Mao, and even Adolf Hitler were driven to success by visions of ultimate glory and victory. Christians are to be driven to survival and success by the promise of the perfect, invincible world order of Christ—the Kingdom of God.

A second survival principle: Life is threatening only for citizens of shaky kingdoms with insecure kings. Once Daniel reckoned with the surety of the coming Rock that would smash the nations of the world and set up His own invincible world order, threats from the likes of Nebuchadnezzar, lions’ dens, fiery furnaces, and evil conspirators faded. Daniel knew he was secure.

If you are tied to earthly structures, media deal-makers, contractual manipulators, market dynamics, or the ebb and flow of work, dollars, status, and favor, you’ll need tranquilizers! All these are outcroppings of a shaky world order—the “kingdom of darkness”—which is destined for destruction. It’s not if, but when it will collapse.

E. Stanley Jones tells of visiting Russia in the glory days of communism. Workers carrying buckets of dirt out of tunnels for the Moscow subway were chanting, “We are building a new world.” When hauling dirt is building a new world, you’ve still got the vision! Likewise, when all your work is for the King, you’re a citizen of the Kingdom!

To survive, remember: Royalty is royalty —even in exile; never forget you are destined for the throne.

—Larry W. Poland, Ph.D

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