Faithfulness in Babylon
Open Your Bible
Daniel 1:8-21, 1 Samuel 12:24, 1 Peter 2:11-17
BY Alena Pitts
Do you ever wonder what it means to be favored by God? Or do you ever think about what it looks like to have God’s hand on your life? I thought I knew, but the longer I live the more I realize my understanding of God’s favor is expanding.
At the age of ten, God granted me the opportunity to star in a Christian film called War Room. The movie was a box-office hit and has been viewed by millions of people all over the world. Two years later, God gave me the chance to write a three-book fictional series with my mom titled Lena in the Spotlight. Those books have sold thousands of copies all over the world as well.
These were two life-changing events that gave me the privilege of traveling all over the world to tell my story and share the hope of God. Now, at sixteen, I can easily look back and call that God’s favor.
But I need to be truly transparent and honest with you. When I was asked to write on this passage in the book of Daniel, I immediately felt unequipped and unworthy because there is more to my story.
Two years ago my beautiful mother unexpectedly passed away. She was my best friend. She was with me on the movie set, in my writing, and as I traveled sharing my story. Just two days before she died, we were speaking at a mother/daughter conference together. But then she left this earth really suddenly and entered into eternity. I was devastated. It was the most painful day of my life by far, and I still carry it with me.
But would you call me crazy if I called this God’s favor on my life? I wouldn’t have said that two years ago, but now I’m beginning to understand favor a bit differently, maybe more deeply.
Think about it. Do you think Daniel wanted to leave his home country of Israel? Do you think he would have wanted to live in a land that wasn’t his, working for a king that wasn’t his, being asked to serve a god that wasn’t his? I imagine he was pretty saddened by how his life had changed so quickly. But with the blessing of time and perspective, we can see in our readings today how God’s favor was still with Daniel in all of that.
As devastating and heart-wrenching as reality can be, it can often be God’s favor. God’s favor could be anything He has done or allowed in your life in order to fulfill His ultimate purposes. And what is God’s purpose? That people would find Him in the midst of their lives, in their pain and struggle, and come to know that they are deeply loved by Him.
What if, like Daniel, God wants to use your story to help others find Jesus? What if His favor can be found in the things that feel like blessings, as well as the things that are really hard? What if He wanted to use all of your life to show up in your story and lead others home to Him? Would you choose today to view all of it as His favor, working to fulfill His good purposes?
129 thoughts on "Faithfulness in Babylon"
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Such wisdom from one so young! I wish I could have had her wisdom at that age. May God continue to show her and me His favor.
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Powerful devotional to go with the reading. Understanding a different perspective of Gods favor is critical to living a life trusting Gods plans are better than ours
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I am late in beginning this reading of Daniel, but it has been a blessing to me already. Today’s reading took me back to my own moments of struggle and times when trouble made God’s favor seem far, but it is a reminder of how thankful I am that His favor was present and with me even in those moments. I don’t have a desire for a repeat of the heartbreak, but I do want to hold tight to the favor and the blessings I found in those times when God’s Presence was my very lifeline. Thank you for this beautiful devotional, Alena. It is beautiful to see how God has woven your tragedy and heartbreak into a beautiful story of His favor and work on display.
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This was a very timely devotion for me. There are some ppl in our lives that have been talking about us behind our backs. Ripping into our marriage, the way we raise our children and the way our children are living their lives. When word got back to us about it, I was angry. The next morning, this was the devotion for the day. Before I started the devotion, I prayed for God to just take this anger away. 1 Peter 2:12 struck a chord with me. My flesh could have used a “I’ll strike down your enemy” verse. Instead, God gently reminded me that we need to keep on persevering. This whole study has been a blessing.
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I’ve been hearing this message/having this conversation many times over the last few months ❤️
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Love this! ❤️
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This is so true and indeed God’s mercy that we can be given eyes to see, He continues to be at work amidst the hardest times to draw us nearer to Him and use us to draw others to Himself.
My grandma was murdered by her drug-addicted neighbour for money when I was 13 years old. I felt God asking me, what’s your faith mean to you, do you still trust I’m in control and love you? It has become the pivotal time in my life where I went from following my parents faith to having my own and wanting God to use it to draw others. I determined to speak about it to my year 7 friends and teachers so God would use it for His glory. My dad did the same and as a result as a Gideon has shared his testimony and given out bibles to hundreds of ppl who have their own hard stuff they’ve walked or a walking through. God is always at work and never wastes anything. That was 25 years ago this year, now my own family and I share His love as We live and work overseas that every tribe and tongue will confess He is Lord!! Thankyou Alena, May He use you for your generation and all who He brings along your path. Xx -
I lost my dad on July 1st from leukemia. He was diagnosed in the middle of February right before covid hit. I still struggle trying to see the good in the loss. But I have to trust His ways and not lean on my own understandings or keep questioning him on why.
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You are so prayed and cheered for ❤️
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