S-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d in Exile

Daniel the exile had a remarkable political career. He survived and prospered during the reigns of four of the most powerful men in the ancient world. His story offers great inspiration and encouragement for 21st century believers.  His life is a lesson in living in a post-Christian world, stretching our faith to full potential.

That's the view unpacked by Gerard Kelly in a creative and thought-provoking study on Daniel called 'Stretch' (Authentic Media).

At our annual Caleb Forum last weekend by Lake Thun in Switzerland, fifteen older YWAM couples met to encourage each other to 'finish strongly'. We shared, prayed, laughed and cried together. And we read excerpts from Kelly's book.

Until a few weeks ago, Gerard was pastor of Crossroads International Church in Amsterdam, which doubled under his colourful preaching style, sprinkled with poetic and artistic allusions.

Gerard is a wordsmith and writes like he talks. His chapters hang on a series of adjectives describing Daniel's faith in exile-a faith both 'stretched and stretching'.   

Intrinsic  
Daniel's faith was so fully internalised and deeply rooted, it shaped everything. It was not dependent on external conditions, outward symbols and familiar rituals. It could survive the journey into exile because it was portable. We need his type of carry-anywhere, intrinsic faith-in-exile in our mobile, shape-shifting world, suggests Kelly.

The church has suffered major losses in recent years, and has been moved from the centre to the margins of society; from majority culture to minority; from a privileged role to being one community among many in a plural society.

The mood for Daniel and his fellow Jews became the minor key. Yet minor keys are not by definition melancholic, Gerard explains. They can also express hope in the midst of lament.

Acoustic
Daniel's faith was grounded in the art of listening. He engaged fully with the culture around him, taking on a pagan education and learning a pagan tongue. Yet he learnt the skill of 'double listening': to God and to the world. I've heard Gerard describe that elsewhere as being bi-textual.

The call of the prophet is double-edged, listening to God and the world in order to bring God's Word into the world to change the world. For the whole earth is the Lord's. Yes, Daniel and his friends were exiles in a foreign land, but even Babylon was God's. Yes, they-like us today-were 'resident aliens'. And we too look forward to when the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our God (Rev. 11: 15).   

Elastic
Like Daniel and his friends, we also need a faith that is stretched but not broken by the trials of life. Shadrach,  Meshach and Abednego told the king that God was able to save them in the fiery furnace, but that even if he didn't, he was still the true God. Their faith was not destroyed by adversity. It was rooted in who God was, not who or where they were. It was rooted not so much in the power of God as in his goodness. It liberated them to love God for his person, not his performance. It embraced God in the familiar and unfamiliar, the easy and the hard.

Kenotic
We needed the dictionary definition at the start of the chapter for this one! Kenotic faith is expressed in servanthood and self-emptying. Daniel's power contrasted with that of the kings-a power that came from knowing God, accessed through prayer, administered in weakness and maintained through trust This kind of power, ignored by historians, truly shapes history.

Poetic
Faith that opens the imagination to God's beauty shaped the way Daniel communicated with the rulers he served. His dreams and visions expressed metaphor and mystery. Our times too resonate with metaphor and mystery.   

Eccentric
To be centred in another reality is the meaning of this kind of faith. Daniel listened to another drummer. He was rooted elsewhere. Living in creation, he was Creator-centred. This gave him courage that transformed kings.

Panoramic
Lastly, Daniel's faith was panoramic, viewing the future in the light of God's plan. Behind the events of his age, he knew the sovereign God was at work. Here was a key to finishing strongly, we read in the last verse of Daniel:

'Go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.'
 
Till next week,

©YWAM Europe - Weekly Words are the personal reflections of Jeff Fountain and do not necessarily express the official position of YWAM.
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