Faithful in Babylon
Living Steadily in a Conflicted Culture
“Pastor’s Perspective” Column for The Stevens County Times
March 2026
By Pastor Tim White
Jesus told His disciples: “In this world you will have trouble…” and He was so right! The division and discord that pervades American society and the global conflicts are troubling for sure. As a Christian, we have hope, but it’s not always that easy when you are facing a crisis that seems ready to take you out. That’s when we need to hear the rest of Jesus’ words, “…but take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
There is turmoil on many fronts, but for perspective, history shows that since the birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost around 33 A.D., Christians have always lived in cultures that did not reflect their values. So, somehow, Christians before us survived in even worse conditions than we are experiencing.
If they did, then we can too. So then, what “encouragement of the Scriptures” can we discover that will build “endurance” and strengthen our faith in days like these? No better place to start than the Book of Daniel, but first, let’s set the stage.
The Book of Daniel begins in 605 B.C., when the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and deported thousands of Israelites from Judah to Babylon. Among those taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Three years later, when each one entered the King’s service, he gave them Babylonian names: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, respectively.
The King of Babylon chose young men from the captives who showed aptitude for all kinds of learning and were quick to understand (Dan. 1:4) to enter a three-year training in all matters of wisdom, knowledge, and language, in preparation for some role or office in the King’s service.
Imagine yourself in that position. You, a teenage Israelite who worships the God of your fathers, transplanted to a foreign land, people, city, and culture, who is thrust into training to potentially serve a pagan king in a pagan culture. Well, at least you have three friends with you whose faith is like your own.
Conviction without being Contentious
In chapter one, we read that the King ordered that all the “students” were to eat of all the foods from the King’s table. Sounds amazing at first. However, Daniel and his three friends knew that some of the food had been defiled, either by pagan sacrifice or by what was prohibited by the law of Moses. What to do?
In verse eight of chapter one, it tells us that “resolved not to defile himself.” These four Israelites had already decided the matter – we will honor God regardless. This “resolve” was not a last-minute decision, but the evidence of a conviction rooted in their established faith in God. However, they did not turn their conflict of faith into a dramatic event, but into an opportunity.
They went to the royal steward overseeing their training and proposed a “test.” The test Daniel proposed was to allow the four men to eat foods consistent with their faith for a period of time, then see how they appeared compared with the rest of the “class.” It worked. The steward was impressed and let them continue in a way that did not conflict with their faith.
The central truth here is to come to grips with the essential elements of faith and life in advance. There will always be secondary matters that can vary based on interpretation, and in these, we need some grace, but the essentials are non-negotiable. Faith in God holds to the latter.
Continued Power Connection
Continuing with Daniel, in chapter six, we read about the jealousy certain high-ranking Babylonian leaders had of Daniel for his wisdom and standing as one of the King’s top three. They wanted to ruin him, so they devised a scheme that fooled the king into signing a 30-day decree forbidding anyone from praying to anyone except the king. The only way these despicable leaders could charge Daniel with a crime was to make some part of his faith illegal. (Can you think of similar efforts today?)
Daniel’s response? He kept praying three times a day as he always had. Daniel would not dare comply because that would cut him off from the personal connection to One he had surrendered his life to. Let the consequences be what they may, but Daniel was not going to let some man-made law keep him from worshipping and seeking his God.
Notice: Daniel did not make a spectacle of his faith, nor did he have to hide it. Whether we are told to break commands in Scripture or pressured to stop any demonstrations of faith by the “Babylonians” around us, we say “No deal.” These are the times your faith becomes even more real. And as you simply keep living faithfully in times like these, undeterred, your faith will grow. Just like a muscle will not grow until it pushes against resistance, so your faith grows in times like these.
Courage that is not “Outcome-dependent”
In chapter three, we read about the golden statue King Nebuchadnezzar made of himself and how he commanded all his “cabinet members” to bow in worship of it when the orchestra began to play, or be thrown in a fiery furnace. So, with that kind of motivation, everyone did. Well, everyone except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Remember, many other Israelites were in the King’s service by this time, but only these three refused to bow (Daniel seems to have been absent at this event). Unsurprisingly, the king was enraged when he discovered their defiant behavior. Once they were brought before the king, he gave them one more chance, or else. Please notice this: How they responded is more important than the miraculous deliverance they experienced.
These young men, standing near certain death, told the most powerful ruler of their day that they did not need to defend themselves. They said that the God they served could deliver them from anything the king would throw at them and then added: “But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Yes, God delivered them, but countless other believers were not; they remained faithful under the harshest of circumstances. They made it through because they were not serving God for what they could get out of Him, but instead for what they could give to God to their very last breath. Their faith in God was not determined by outcome – is there any other kind of faith? I think not.
Living in Babylon without giving in to fear and anxiety is more than possible. Like Daniel and his three friends, choose today whom you will serve, and do not fear the outcomes you cannot control. Choose to keep following the only One who rules overall. Your most compelling witness may not be louder arguments—but steadier trust.