Scripture:

“Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests. Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.

 

Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. So they concluded, ‘Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.’

 

So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, ‘Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions’.” Daniel 6:1-7 (NLT)

 

Perspective:

God had given Daniel favor in this foreign land. He was positioned as a leader within the country, and the king highly valued Daniel’s insight and abilities. Daniel was faithful day in and day out in his responsibilities, and others took notice. Yet, instead of celebrating Daniel’s success, they became jealous of him. In the midst of being faithful, opposition was coming against Daniel. As Daniel continued to pray to God in front of his window three times a day, the law that the other administrators persuaded the king to enact gave the administrators a way to condemn Daniel. The consequences of not abiding by this law was death by being thrown into a den of lions. Daniel’s action showed that he was more committed to being obedient to God and honoring Him. The result was that Daniel was thrown into a den of lions, which seemed to be the end of the story. Yet, when the story seemed to be ending, God still had the final word. God was with Daniel when he was in his house praying, and God was with Daniel in the midst of the den of lions. It was God working miraculously in all the situations that saved Daniel. As Daniel was facing his seemingly last moments, God was rewriting the story by closing the mouths of lions to show His faithfulness to a man who had been so faithful to Him.

 

In our lives, we can wonder if faithfulness is of any value. As in Daniel’s life, maybe you have been faithful to the Lord and all that you are experiencing is opposition at work or in your family. You don’t understand why this is happening to you. Daniel’s life attests that faithfulness does not mean there will be no battles. There was a battle raging outside of Daniel that was far greater than he could fight on his own. As people came against him, he had to make a decision. Would he continue to be faithful to God or become intimidated by the opposition? We also have to make this decision. If you are being faithful and continually facing opposition, don’t lose heart. God’s deliverance may come as you walk through the battle in order to bring glory to His name. While our faithfulness is a testimony of God working in us, the display of God’s faithfulness magnifies His power and presence. It is quite possible that God is wanting to show Himself faithful to you and also show His power to those around you. When God is in charge, He has the final word, and we can know that He will be faithful until the end.

 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

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About Hona Amer

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