Sovereignty

 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.
Daniel 1:2 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/dan.1.2.ESV

If it wasn't for the first part of this verse, we might assume that it was game over for God's people. It seemed like Babylon's gods had beaten the God of the Jews. It might often feel similar nowadays.

We might assume that if we follow the One True God we'd have an easy life. Yet He warns us that through much tribulation we must enter the Kingdom of God. When we submit to Jesus's Kingship, we make enemies of the world, our flesh, and the devil.

I love how this verse underlines God's sovereignty even when everything seems to be going wrong for His people. It was the Lord who handed them over to captivity. It is God who allows us to be exiled in the world, until He calls us home to glory.

Even when it seems like the world's winning, reflect. Where are Babylon's gods now? They're obsolete. And yet the Lord God of Israel is worshipped all around the globe.

'Lord Almighty, help us to remember that ultimately, You win. May we entrust ourselves to You even when life is hard, for Your glory, amen'

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