Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading titled Better with God was written by Patricia Rabin.

On her college volleyball team, my granddaughter learned a winning principle.

When the ball came her way,

no matter what, she could better the ball. She could make a play that left her teammates in a better

situation without throwing tantrums, blaming, or making excuses. Always make the situation better. That was Daniel's response when he and

three Hebrew friends were taken into captivity by Babylon's king Nebuchadnezzar. Although they were given

pagan names and ordered to take three years of training in the enemy's palace,

Daniel didn't rage. Instead, he asked permission not to defile himself in God's sight

by eating the king's rich food and wine. As this intriguing Bible story shows,

after consuming nothing but vegetables and water for 10 days,

Daniel and his friends looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate

the royal food. Another time, Nebuchadnezzar threatened to kill Daniel and all palace wise men if they

couldn't repeat the king's disturbing dream and interpret it. Again, Daniel didn't panic,

but sought mercy from the God of heaven, and the mystery was revealed to him in a vision.

As Daniel declared of God, wisdom and power are his. Throughout his captivity, Daniel sought

God's best despite the conflicts he faced. In our own troubles, may we follow that example,

making the situation better by taking it to God.

Our scripture reading today is from Daniel chapter 1, verses 11 through 16, and chapter 2, verses 19 and 20.

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah,

Mishael, and Azariah, please test your servants for 10 days.

Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.

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