Today’s Reading: Daniel 6; Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation – so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?
When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. – Psalm 27:1-3

If you can ignore the fact that he was in captivity, you can say that everything had gone right for Daniel. He went from being a Jewish captive to a member of the royal service to ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all King Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men. Under King Belshazzar’s reign, Daniel was made the third highest ruler in the kingdom and Darius the Mede appointed Daniel as one of three administrators over all the high officers. When Darius made plans to place Daniel over the entire empire, the other administrators decided they had had enough! They reacted with jealousy and found pleasure in the possibility of seeing something go wrong in Daniel’s life. Sadly, we see this same reaction play out today on the job, within families, and sometimes even in the church.

Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous. – Proverbs 27:4

The plot to destroy Daniel struck where they knew it would affect him the most — the worship of his God. They stroked the pride of King Darius and tricked him into issuing a decree that no one could pray to any god except the king himself. Once more, someone placed in a leadership position and given authority over much allowed pride to take over, making a foolish decision based on his own wants and desires.

But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down AS USUAL in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, JUST AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE, giving thanks to his God. Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. – Daniel 6:10-11

DANIEL PRAYED TO GOD, JUST AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE.

When he received word of the king’s decree, Daniel went to his knees to pray to God for protection. He was not praying because he was now in a difficult situation and needed rescuing; he prayed just as he had always done. Three times a day, without fail, Daniel took the time to direct all of his attention to the God he had given first place in his life. And let’s not miss the initial focus of Daniel’s prayer — thanksgiving. Daniel started by giving thanks to God before he asked for God’s help.

Daniel had faithfully developed a habit or life pattern of spending time in prayer, which is what made him the kind of man we have been studying. Spending time daily in God’s presence resulted in God’s presence dwelling daily within Daniel, giving him strength and wisdom. Today was no different.

DANIEL TRUSTED IN GOD, JUST AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE.

As a result of his decree, King Darius had no choice but to follow through with the punishment as declared in the new law — Daniel must be thrown into the den of lions. The king was deeply troubled and spent the night fasting for the protection of his faithful servant, Daniel.

Was Daniel scared? Did he question his decision to pray JUST AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE, with the windows wide open? I choose to believe that Daniel reacted the same way his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did. I choose to believe that Daniel trusted in God to save him, but also loved God enough to say, “But even if He doesn’t…”

The next morning, the king hurried to the lion’s den and called out, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” – Daniel 6:20-22

DANIEL GAVE PRAISE TO GOD, JUST AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE.

As a result of Daniel’s faithfulness and his testimony of how God had rescued him from what seemed an impossible situation, God was glorified and given the praise. I pray those around us can see that we serve God faithfully and that we trust in Him through all situations, good and bad. This kind of faithfulness starts in our quiet times with the Lord. It is in the intimate moments with God that He takes us deeper in our relationship with Him and draws us closer to Him, creating fellowship and oneness with Him.

“The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him” – Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest. Chambers’ words bring conviction this morning, but they also inspire me. Oh how I long to go deeper.

Here me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” – Psalm 27:7-8

I have no idea what you are going through right now, but I pray that the depth of your daily private times of fellowship and oneness with God give you the strength of faith to trust in Him. I pray you believe that He can rescue you just as He rescued Daniel. I pray He will strengthen your faith and give you the courage to say — I know my God is able to rescue me from all of this but, even if He doesn’t, I choose to trust in Him, be grateful for Him, and spend time daily praying to Him.