Making Friends Of Enemies

Daniel 1:17-21

The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. (Daniel 1:19)

GOVERNMENTS ARE PRONE TO CORRUPTION. It would be hard to miss that fact in any era of history, including ours. Frustration and outrage over human governments dominate headlines and motivate thousands upon thousands of promises of “change.” But real change is rare. The ways of the world infiltrate systems and sway human hearts, even those with the best of intentions. We long for a well-run society.

Imagine, then, how drastically noticeable it would be for God’s people to enter into the institutions of this world without being corrupted by its age-old ills. What if those in power consulted with the Spirit of God and his people for guidance, direction, prayer, and a sense of God’s voice for the moment? What if Christians in influential places prayed for God’s solutions to social problems that no one has yet been able to solve—and received his answers? What if the people of God instituted a new culture of politics that invites cooperation and healthy compromise, even with people at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum? What if we became known as the people on earth most likely to be supportive and cooperate with one another—not to compromise truth but to reach common ground?

These utopian ideals may be out of reach in this age, but the intent and the character behind them are not. Far more lives have been changed by demonstrations of goodwill than by unmovable attitudes. People like Daniel and his friends, and Joseph before them, served ungodly kings and softened hard hearts in the process. They were put in a position of honoring selfish royal agendas while maintaining their integrity and doing good for kingdoms that often exploited their people. They understood a vital truth: Befriending adversaries is far more fruitful in the long run than overpowering them. If you want to influence your world, remember that. Seek the welfare even of people you disagree with and don’t like. Love changes corrupt societies and even the most hardened hearts.

{Lord, you have called us to a new culture. We do not conform to the ways of the world; we transform them. Show us how. Give me grace to love the unlovable and, like you, seek the welfare of all. Amen.