Thriving in Babylon

Daniel is the story of God’s people learning to remain faithful while living in a culture that does not share their loves or loyalties. Written during Israel’s exile, the book reveals a God who is sovereign as kingdoms rise and fall and who is present with His people under pressure. Many of us feel this tension, trying to follow Jesus in a world that often resists His ways. As we study Daniel, we learn how to live with courage, wisdom, and hope in our own modern Babylon.

Family Liturgies

As we walk together as a church family, we recognize how difficult it can be to follow Jesus in the midst of busy, distracted lives. Family Liturgies offer a simple weekly rhythm of Scripture, catechism, and reflection that carries Sunday’s teaching into the week, helping households slow down, notice God’s presence, and allow Jesus to shape the culture of their home over time.

Further Study series intro

Daniel was an Old Testament prophet around 600 years before the birth of Jesus. Exiled in the overtly idolatrous city of Babylon, God's people were forced to navigate life in a culture that was not only different from theirs but altogether opposed to their beliefs and values. Yet God had them there for a purpose—to trust him as he refined them, to be a light in a dark place, and to seek the welfare of their city.

Few characters exemplify this calling better than Daniel. One could fairly say that he did not simply survive in Babylon, but he thrived there (Daniel 1:20; 2:48; 3:29; 4:37; 5:29; 6:28).

How? By God graciously listening, giving mercy, protecting, and granting the courage and wisdom necessary for Daniel not only to remain faithful but to participate in His plans to redeem His people. And what is so remarkable about this story is that Daniel is given a vision behind the curtain of the drama unfolding on the world’s stage—a glimpse of what God is up to in the middle of it—even through leaders who want nothing to do with the kingdom of God. Empires that seemed to have world domination one minute, the next minute have been defeated and have handed over their power to a different empire.

The book of Daniel reminds us that every kingdom—no matter its greatness or power, no matter how wonderful or terrible—every earthly empire will come to an end. Including ours. Including China. Including Russia. Every empire we know of and every one that will come after us. Every nation we know of and every one that will come after us. They will all come to an end. Except one. The kingdom of God. Jesus’ kingdom.

The kingdoms of the world will rise and fall, but God is sovereign through it all.

And because this is true, though we live in a city that is often hostile to God and His ways, God has us here for a purpose—to trust Him as He refines us, to be a light in a dark place, and to seek the welfare of our city.