t’s sometimes hard to be thankful this side of heaven. This can be especially true for some during the holiday season.

This point was recently driven home when a friend and her son were shopping and came upon an early display of Christmas trees. The child was thrilled, and began bubbling happily about the coming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

The trees and the discussion of the seasons had the opposite effect on my friend. She became saddened.

The child, you see, is moving with his stepfamily across the country before the holidays. While the mother has enjoyed frequent contact with her son, future visits will be greatly curtailed. Needless to say, the holidays will be different.

For some individuals the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons are distressing. The very elements that make these occasions so memorable—family gatherings, moments of grateful reflection, special meals, joint attendance at church services, and shared recreation served up with generous portions of holiday cheer—make the same moments doubly painful for others.

I say doubly painful because holiday-induced distress not only exacerbates painful memories, but runs counter to the desired spirit of the holidays. This grates against the fondly held “be of good cheer” perception of the way Christians should carry themselves in all circumstances.

We are undoubtedly familiar with the “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” verses of the Bible (John 16:33). I am sure we are pleased the world was overcome. (But we would not complain, of course, if more of the problems in our part of the world were overcome as well.)

A Secret From Daniel’s Life
I recently discovered a secret from Daniel’s life that can help us view our difficulties differently. His experiences suggest that God is sometimes as actively “overcoming the world” through distressing circumstances as He is through good ones. In fact, Daniel’s meteoric rise in the Babylonian and Persian governments came as a direct result of providentially allowed ordeals.

To begin with, Daniel would never have been prime minister of Babylon had he not been taken captive and dragged off to Babylon. As the outline of Jerusalem faded from his sight and he wearily walked across the hot desert sands, he couldn’t have realized that these were the first steps of a God-ordained adventure that would lead him to prominence in his captor’s government.

Daniel arrived in Babylon and was quickly inducted into the king’s school, where he received special training and other advantages. Unfortunately for him, one of the advantages included being fed prohibited food. Daniel was no slouch and realized he might forfeit his chances of attending the special school if he didn’t eat the food everyone else ate. He was probably tempted to compromise temporarily. Daniel obviously didn’t compromise, though, and God used the test to bring him to the king’s attention. After the fact, Daniel was probably grateful for the test.

Some time later Daniel was informed by one of Nebuchadnezzar’s officers that he was to be executed with the wise men who had failed to answer the king’s questions regarding his dream. It was a rather scary time, but Daniel sought and obtained permission to seek an answer from his God, thereby bringing the wisdom of his God to the attention of Nebuchadnezzar. As a result of this difficulty, Daniel was promoted to a senior administrative position in Babylon. Daniel was probably thankful for this experience too.

Nebuchadnezzar must not have been thrilled with a vision suggesting other kingdoms would rise after his own. He determined to make a statement otherwise by setting up a golden image in the plains of Dura. Daniel, the one person who knew about the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, wasn’t around. His three friends and all the other leaders of the empire were, and they were ordered to bow to the image when they heard the music play. Daniel’s three friends were definitely on the fast track and might have been tempted to bow a little and therefore mollify the king. However, they didn’t even stoop when the music played, and Nebuchadnezzar lost his temper and had them thrown into a fiery furnace.

A Courageous Stand for Truth
The results were far better than they ever could have imagined. Their courageous stand for truth displayed the power of God to the king and all the leaders of the empire. The test also resulted in their personal promotion and a general decree that every citizen of the empire was to respect the God of the three Hebrews. I suspect any ongoing prayer meeting for their safety turned into a praise meeting.

Later, when Daniel was old and the Medo-Persians conquered Babylon, he found himself in difficult circumstances again. His enemies, frustrated with their inability to find a way to condemn him, set a trap that could not fail. The decree prohibited praying to any god for 30 days. Most of us in Daniel’s situation might have chosen to pray with our eyes open while going about our regular duties, or at the very least praying at the back of our rooms.

The Bible, however, says Daniel went to his upper room, where a window was open toward Jerusalem, and “prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (Dan. 6:10, NKJV). As a result of this trial, Daniel’s God became known to the new ruler, some troublesome wise men were fed to very hungry lions, and Daniel became firmly established as prime minister of the new empire.

All of these God-revealing, Daniel-promoting experiences began as sore trials that could have ended with loss and death. God used these situations, however, to accomplish results that could not have been attained otherwise. While Daniel might have begged for deliverance and resented his difficulties, his calm and grateful acceptance of God’s leading assured that heaven’s objectives were achieved.

Difficulties and Blessings
Do we sense God’s hands in the circumstances of our lives? Can we really believe that “all things work together for good to those that love God” (Rom. 8:28, NKJV)? Are we accustomed to thanking the Lord for our difficulties in anticipation of some further blessing?

Checking with friends, I have found that God often works through burdensome situations for the good of His children. Childhood difficulties can lead to greater sensitivity to the struggles of others in similar circumstances. Divorce, though painfully difficult and resulting in long-term scars, can be life-changing. Unanticipated financial burdens allow us to see countless miracles of God’s “just enough” financial keeping. God can use loneliness to attract us toward a deeply satisfying relationship with Him. In my own case, an unexplained job loss led to a new position that far exceeded my expectations in every way. In fact, reviewing my own life, many of God’s kindest blessings have come via the pathway of difficulty.

When Daniel faced the final test with the lions, I think he had experienced sufficient miracles to confidently thank God in anticipation of the good things that resulted. He was not disappointed.

God is still working today in exceeding and abundant ways on our behalf. While there may be moments of pain and loneliness during the holiday season, focusing on the miracles that have made and kept us thus far, believing that everything will have its beneficent purpose in the end, and looking forward to the good things God has in store for us will bring the peace that passes all understanding, and that hallows the most dire circumstances.

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Dan Augsburger writes from Berrien Springs, Michigan.