Advent Devotion – A Light Shines in the Darkness – Day 8

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
Daniel 2:20-22

Safe and Secure in Our Darkest Moments

At first glance, Daniel’s praise in this text sounds like a psalm for festival worship. But the setting is anything but bright.

Judah had fallen under God’s judgment. Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple had been demolished, and many were dragged into exile in Babylon. Among them was young Daniel.

I have lived in many countries by choice, but I cannot imagine the realities of this experience: torn from home, nation, and place of worship and forced into training to serve a pagan king. Stripped of freedom. For the Old Testament believer, the additional loss of temple worship and sacrifices—those signs pointing to the promised Messiah—must have felt like the deepest despair, both physically and spiritually.

To make matters worse, the arrogant King Nebuchadnezzar had decided that his troubling dream was a matter of life or death. He demanded it be revealed and explained—or his wise men would be cut into pieces. “No one on earth can do what the king asks,” his advisors cried in despair (verse 10). Daniel was under the same death sentence.

And yet, the faith of Daniel shines. He didn’t panic or scheme but instead asked the king for more time and immediately urged his friends to join him in prayer, pleading for mercy from the God of heaven.

What do you do in moments of despair? How different Daniel’s response is from mine. In moments of fear, I take swift action—rushing to people or Google, unloading my emotions, seeking quick solutions. My body panics, bracing itself for battle, convinced it will fight alone. I grasp for light in all the wrong places. But in mercy, God still calls me back to my knees, back to trust in him.

Daniel’s story points us to something beyond earthly rescues. It points us to the undeserved love of our heavenly Father. God didn’t have to, but he stooped down and revealed the mystery of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel, a heavenly rescue. In greater mercy, he has revealed the mystery of salvation to us.

Daniel’s God is our God—the revealer of mysteries. He gave us his story of divine rescue in the Bible so that the power of the gospel would shine into our darkest moments. We do not need to beg for deliverance; in Christ, deliverance is already ours. At the cross, Jesus endured judgment and death in our place. In his resurrection, he shattered the power of sin, death, and the devil. By faith, his victory becomes ours. Saved. Safe.

We may feel like exiles in a foreign land now, but this present reality is not forever. Our true home awaits. So, with Daniel, we proclaim: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever… he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.” And in Christ, that light dwells in us.

Prayer: Lord of light and life, thank you for revealing the mystery of your love in Christ Jesus. When we feel surrounded by darkness or far from home, remind us that we are already saved and secure through his cross and resurrection. May your light dwell in us always, so that our hearts overflow with praise for you. Amen.

Written by Elise Gross