Daniel 6
Love the story of Daniel, really encourages me every time I get the opportunity to read about him. It was the first book I completed in the bible, and I have not forgotten about it.
Daniel is an epic character, he was in exile, living away from the land that God had given his people and now he’s been asked to stop worshiping his God and to bow to whomever his oppressors choose!! That’s madness.
Standing on the edge of the lion pit Daniel must have thought ‘oh damn’ (or words to that effect!) yet, unlike Darius, it’s not after God has saved him that Daniel chooses to worship Him, it’s before. Daniel faithfully pours himself out to God in his room as he prays, trusting that ‘if our God is for us, who can be against us’. Daniel doesn’t need constant proof or evidence, his faith in a God who saves, is unshakable. This is why I love reading this book, because he believed before the hardships, and got the rewards for this.
Darius acknowledges God as Lord and pours out some of the most beautiful and heartfelt praise and worship after seeing what God can do. I wonder how many of us are actually quite like Darius, we see men and women of faith and we hope that there’s something in it, but we always wait, hoping that God will really prove himself, and then we’ll give our all. In a lot of ways Darius reminds me of ‘doubting’ Thomas….Don’t want to spoil what he is all about, you’ll find out on day 69…very exciting stuff happens then!
What are the lions in your life today? The things that seem impossible, the obstacles, the situation waiting to devour you? Maybe it’s depression, a breakdown of a relationship, money troubles, unemployment, uncertainty, illness or fear. Are you staring your lion in the face and saying ‘God if you come through on this one, I’m all yours, and I’ll know you’re with me’- are YOU a Darius?
Or are YOU a Daniel – you trust in God, you put faith in Him despite the situation or circumstance, you worship Him knowing that He is worthy?
Ben Cantelon has a good way of putting it.
Brian