“Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually,
been able to rescue you from the lions?”
Daniel 6:20b
Let’s look at the other famous story from the book of Daniel. It is arguably one of the top five or ten most well-known stories from the Bible, especially for children. Yet, I dare say that none of us have tied the word “persecution” or “martyrdom” to this story. That is exactly what it was.
Daniel continued to climb the governmental ranks of subsequent kings, serving Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, and then Darius the Mede. Daniel was one of three administrators over 120 satraps, or provincial governors, in Darius’ kingdom. He outshone the other two administrators, so the king was going to promote Daniel over everyone but himself. This bred jealousy and a plot to take down Daniel, which worked to a degree. The king in his pride and vanity agreed to the conspirators’ idea “that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den” (Daniel 6:7b).
What Daniel did should not only be an admonition to us, but also a good guide for daily living. Three times each day, Daniel would get on his knees to thank God and ask for help (verse 10). Once the conspirators witnessed this act, it was then merely a technicality of exposing him to King Darius. There was no way the king would go back on his royal decree.
You know the rest of the story. Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions, spent the night, and was found unharmed at dawn by the king himself. Daniel was freed and the conspirators and their families were fed to the lions. But it didn’t end there! The king issued another decree that in “every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel” (verse 26a).
A life lived in faithful prayer is a life full of peace, love, and joy. The world may be going to hell in a handbasket, as the saying goes, but we can still rise above it all and worship our Savior. Regardless of the outcome, we can trust the God who loves us, saves us, and is gifting us with a sinless eternity. So, as we live day-to-day in the here and now, let’s be faithful in our prayer lives. Let’s make it a discipline to read God’s Word, meditate on it, and speak and listen to God through the Holy Spirit in prayer.
The final paragraph really got my attention. Christians seem to be “losing” on a daily basis. Anything and everything is welcome whether we, the majority, agree with it or not. Just this week we have been told by the US Department of Education that high school students can be any gender they choose, participate in that gender’s activities, and visit men’s/women’s private areas based on that choice. The majority no longer matters. We have witnessed our city’s gay pride day. Political debates have become an embarrassment–avoiding real issues for the sake of entertainment. This devotional came the morning after elections. We lost. The fact that leaders could be chosen with 2,000+ votes in a town of 50,000+ people, speaks volumes. Not only have we lost, we have given up. Thank you for reminding us that “we can still rise above it all and worship our Savior.” Priorities–reading God’s Word, meditation, and prayer–will be our only hope.