Issue #120, December 11, 2013
Not many of us live and work in the presence of the president or top leader in our nation. In this environment, the pressure to conform is enormous and it takes tremendous boldness to take a stand. But, Daniel and his three friends demonstrate that boldness with humility is possible at these levels even when the official is a king with absolute power. What can we learn from Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego about how servant leaders combine boldness with humility?
Boldness requires a servant leader to take a stand for right.
Daniel and his three friends faced huge moral challenges in life or death situations. Daniel, as a part of his three year orientation training, was tempted to compromise his convictions concerning diet. His three friends, in a huge public gathering, were commanded to bow down and worship an idol made by the king. In both situations, these leaders faced enormous peer pressure as everyone around them followed the instructions of the king. In both situations, disobedience to the king’s commands could have cost them their lives. In such situations we can quickly rationalize reasons not to take a stand. We might think, “I’ll bow my knee, but in my heart I’ll worship God.” Or, “It would be better to eat then to create a disturbance.” Daniel and his friends showed enormous courage and boldly took a stand for what was right. “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.” (Daniel 1:8) The three men, when called into the presence of the king stated boldly, “We want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18)
Servant leaders take a stand for what is right, not for what they want or for what will benefit themselves. They do not wait on someone else to act or until public opinion is on their side. They hold firm convictions about right and wrong based on God’s moral principles and boldly declare what they believe.
Humility enables a servant leader to trust the results to God.
Daniel and his friends boldly took a stand for right but at the same time humbly recognized that they were not responsible for the results. Daniel spoke wisely to his supervisor, offered a ten day test, then humbly trusted God for the results. The three men, when challenged by the king, refused to defend themselves. "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.” (Daniel 3:16) They anticipated God’s deliverance, but humbly trusted the results to God, acknowledging that even if God did not deliver them, their response would be the same. (See Daniel 3:18).
Many leaders only take a bold stand after carefully concluding that their chances for success are high. Servant leaders take a bold stand based on principle and humbly leave the results to God.
Leaders who are passionate for a moral cause often act boldly but at the same time arrogantly look down on those who disagree and are defensive and argumentative. Servant leaders speak for God and what is right but are not defensive since they trust God for the results.
Servant leaders, like Daniel and his friends boldly stand for what is right and humbly trust the results to God. As they do, God uses them to accomplish His purposes for their nation.
For further reflection and discussion:
- Read the story of Daniel and his friends (Daniel 1, 3 and 6) looking for ways that they demonstrated bold humility. What more do you learn from their story?
- When is the last time you stood against the crowd? Reflect on that experience in light of Daniel’s example. What did you do well? What could have been done better?
- When it comes to moral issues, is your natural tendency boldness or humility? In what ways is God calling you to balance these two principles?
- What are the significant moral issues facing you as a leader in your family, business, community or nation? What reasons can you easily give to avoid taking a stand? What does it mean for you to stand for what is right? What might God be calling you to do in response to these issues? What would bold yet humble leadership look like in this situation?