My wife reminds me at times that I need to eat better. I reply, what’s better than nachos and halloween candy for supper? I actually try to eat healthy, but temptations to a sound diet abound.

Four young men in Babylon took a restrictive approach to their diet. Enrolled in an intensive program to develop court officials, these men faced tables filled with meat offered to idols, or meat of which the blood was not drained properly. The law of Moses marked such food unfit for devout Jews to consume.

Daniel asked the chief official for permission to refrain. Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearances with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.

The wise official consented to the experiment and the young men flourished. Sticking to their diet, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednago and Daniel stood out in health and vigor. On top of that, the Lord gave them knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning (thus taking all the fear out of final exams).

I wonder what areas of tradition I hold to when the Lord may have an unorthodox plan in mind to benefit both me and those around me? Am I open enough to listen? The hero of the above story is the chief official who was willing to try something new. His small gamble not only served these four men, but eventually his king and his nation. Perhaps the Lord whispered in his ear along with Daniel?

Try an experiment. Do something fresh, like listening to scripture, or asking about co-worker’s families, or serving a cranky neighbor. Give it 10 days and see how things go. The Lord may have something better—totally unexpected—waiting around the corner.

A good diet goes a long way.

Daniel 1 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Nathan Dumlao