One of my favorite Bible stories as a small child was Daniel in the Lion’s Den (Daniel Chapter 6).  I loved to hear how God protected Daniel from the mighty beasts.  I imagined that God caused the lions to sleep, and Daniel laid down next to one of the lions and went to sleep as well.

As an adult, this story is still one of my favorites, but for different reasons.  Yes, I still love to see God’s faithfulness and protection over Daniel, and Daniel’s calm, collected, and cool disposition as he trusted in God’s provision.

One of the qualities about Daniel that I wish to have in my life is Daniel’s faithfulness.  Daniel was doing such an exceptional job that the king was about to promote him.  The other leaders at Daniel’s level were jealous, and looked for ways to scandalize Daniel before the king, so they could have a shot at the promotion.  Notice what scripture records:

“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”  (Daniel 6:4 NIV)

Daniel was found trustworthy, and neither corrupt, nor negligent.  Wow.  A high standard to live up to.  While I am certainly not called to a public life like Daniel, I can still strive to be faithful in what God has called me to do, just as Daniel was faithful to do what God had called him to do.

Another characteristic that I admire about Daniel in my adult life is Daniel’s steadfast relationship with the Lord.  The other leaders at Daniel’s level found what they thought was Daniel’s weakness – his life dedicated to the Lord, and not serving other gods, or treating the king as a deity or god.  These evil leaders got the king to sign a proclamation that everyone was to worship him as king, or face death.  The king, filled with his own ego and self-importance, gladly signed the document.

Notice Daniel’s reaction when he heard the news about the king’s new edict:

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”  (Daniel 6:10 NIV)

What was Daniel’s reaction?  Did he panic?  Did he go appeal to the king?  Did he hire a lawyer?  Did he gather all his friends and complain bitterly?  No to all of these.

Instead, Daniel continued doing what he he had been doing – go into his room, and pray to God three times a day.  The Scriptures do not tell us what Daniel prayed, but it just says that he kept on doing what he had been doing, honoring God and carving out time to spend with the Lord.

May each of us be like Daniel, intentional in our relationship with the Lord, and faithful to pray and seek God’s face.

Blessings,
~kevin