Daniel 6:28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Your Prosperity Will be No Greater Than the God You Serve
We are living in one of the most prosperous times and places in all of human history, yet we are living in a day bankrupt of moral direction, moral discernment, and God’s guidance in our lives. The Bible says that Daniel was a man who prospered. That is something all of us want, although we often try to define prosperity in ways that are inferior. Oftentimes, we are seeking a prosperity that will not matter in the long run.
The Bible says of Daniel, “This Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” He had also prospered in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was a man who, over a long period of time, did not just survive, he thrived under a number of pagan kingdoms and kings.
Why did he prosper? The Bible tells us more than once that there was an excellent spirit found in him. This is because, as the king was compelled to acknowledge, the God of Daniel is the living God. Your prosperity will be no greater than the God you serve. All these kings and kingdoms, varied though they might have been, had one thing in common: they did not know God Jehovah and they were serving gods of their own making that could not prosper them.
The living God, on the other hand, possesses things that only such a God could possess. First, the living God possesses a greater law than man’s. The law of the Medes and Persians, notoriously, was a law that could not be changed. When the conspirators against Daniel had the king pass a law to trap Daniel and have him put out of the way, it was a law that could not be revoked or changed. But, there was a greater law and that was the law of God.
Secondly, the living God possesses a power greater than man’s. The king, who realized that he had been tricked, said to Daniel when he was about to be put into the lion’s den, “Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.” When the king came to see Daniel after that long night, he asked Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?”
Daniel answered, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me.” The living God possess a power greater than man’s.
Finally, the living God possesses a kingdom greater than man’s. All these kingdoms came and went, yet one thing we find over and again is the everlasting nature of God’s kingdom. The king himself said, “I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.”
Whatever you see today, remember that this world is short-lived. God is an eternal God with a greater law, a greater power, and a greater kingdom than anyone else. And your prosperity will be no greater than the God you serve.