A Walk with Daniel

I read a passage from Daniel yesterday, then it came up again in an automated reading plan today. Obviously, something being brought to my attention twice in a row like that leads me to pause and reflect. So I reread the entire account of Daniel and, once again, the Bible has not ceased to amaze me. For the sake of this post, I will only focus on one of the most well-known portions of this incredible man’s life–Daniel in the Lion’s Den. Now, I realize that most of you know the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, but I doubt you’ve heard the Lisa Ross version…so stick with me while I run quickly through the story, then I’ll share my thoughts on it with you. 🙂

Daniel had been appointed to a very important position. It was a job originally intended for three men to share. In today’s terms, they were to be like directors who would hear reports from the managers under them and then make executive-level decisions and prepare reports for the king…or the CEO, for our purposes. But the king/CEO saw something special in Daniel. In addition to being highly intelligent, Daniel lived an exemplary life. He was completely trustworthy and without fault. The king/CEO then created an entirely new position and promoted Daniel to it. Daniel was now similar to a Vice-President by today’s standards…he was essentially the highest ruler (besides the king, of course) and he was placed in authority over all the directors, managers, and, basically, the entire kingdom…er, company.

As you can imagine, the guys who once served at the same level as Daniel were jealous. They felt passed-over for this promotion and they wanted to get rid of the “competition.” But, because Daniel was the kind of man he was, these other guys couldn’t find any form of negligence or misconduct in his handling of the King’s affairs, so they had to hatch a plan in an attempt to cause his demise.

This is where the jealous “wanna-bes” tricked the king into passing a law that they knew Daniel would be sure to break due to his strong commitment to God. They brown-nosed the king with all kinds of flattery, telling him, because he was so great, there should be 30 days of just honoring him and no one else. As a matter of fact, if anyone prays to or worships any other man or god during that time, we ought to just throw them into a den of lions and let them feed off of them.

The king, envisioning all the praise and attention he would receive, agreed to the plan – not even thinking of the potential consequences. He trusted these men he had appointed to be on his side, so the thought of them conspiring to use him in order harm his right-hand guy probably never entered his head. So he signed the law into effect, knowing, once he did it, there was no going back. And the little sneaks didn’t have to wait long before catching Daniel breaking the king’s decree.

Daniel prayed to God, just as he always did, giving his scheming co-workers the prime opportunity to turn him in. The king was distraught, not wanting to lose Daniel because he cared so much for him, but knowing it was something he couldn’t get out of. He knew he had been tricked and he was now forced to put Daniel into the den of hungry lions. But he knew just enough of Daniel’s God that he had a smidgeon of hope that He would protect Daniel from harm. And that’s just what happened. Daniel was placed into the pit of lions, and God sent an angel to close their snarling, drooling, ravenous mouths. When the king ran out to the pit the next morning, he found Daniel just chillin’ with the lions…completely unscathed.

As many times as I’ve read this story, I still find hundreds of little life-points that can be taken away from it. Here are just a few of the major highlights for me:

1. In everything you do, do it all for the Glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Whether you’re working, eating, or sleeping…do it all in such a way that it honors the Lord. For your faithfulness, God will bless you with an abundance of grace. Daniel did the work of three people, but it was “easy” for him because he was blessed with God’s grace to do it. God’s grace shines so bright that people can’t help but notice an uncommon level of excellence in you…the kind of excellence that is worthy of special honor and position. We just have to be certain, as we walk in this grace, that we never fail to return the glory to God at the close of each day. Functioning consistently in this manner will keep us from becoming corrupted by the good things that God has so freely given to us. Now, some may ask, “Is it right that Christians should live such prosperous/prominent lives?” Of course it is. As God’s people, we are designed to walk in uncommon blessing. We, of all people, should live highly favored, prosperous, and productive lives because Psalm 84:11 tell us of our Father’s intentions for us:
   

   For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

2. In doing things the way God calls us to do them, we will stand out. But keep in mind, standing out has both its rewards as well as its downfalls. As you begin to excel, you may find yourself in line for a promotion, financial blessings, and favor. But, whatever the reward, you can also be sure there will people who will come against you. Even those who used to be your friends may begin to distance themselves from you or even betray you. They may be jealous of your position, your peace, your joy, your prosperity…the list goes on and on…and they may distance themselves from you because they feel challenged by your higher standards of living. They keep their distance so they aren’t confronted with the possibility of needing to “up their own game.” Quite simply put, success tests friendships and breeds enemies. Therefore, we must be in constant communication with God, so He can open our eyes to potential hazards and, just as he closed the mouths of the lions for Daniel, He can protect us from the schemes of others as well.
   

   Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. – Psalm 138:7

3. This point is one that totally blew me away. Please forgive my long review of this item, but it was the one line of scripture that really reached out and grabbed me. The scripture reads,
   

   Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. – Daniel 6:10

   Daniel knew full-well that the law had been passed. He also knew full-well what the consequences would be for breaking the law. Yet, he STILL went directly to his house and began to pray JUST AS HE HAD DONE PREVIOUSLY. He didn’t try to hide what he was doing; the windows were wide open as he boldly prayed–just as he had always done. Daniel knew honoring God outweighed any man-made policy and any threat that may go along with it. He knew his God and he trusted Him to protect him. What did he have to fear? God had saved his buddies from being burned alive just three chapters before, so would He not provide Daniel with the same kind of protection…and would He not make the same offer available it to us?

   My mind went two places on this small portion of the story.

   – First, it went to our great society of acceptance, tolerance, and watered-down wishy-washy socially acceptable Christianity, I’ve seen our government and leaders of companies all across this nation invoke policies that would prevent people from expressing their Christianity so as not to offend anyone who believes differently. But, in a country founded on Christian principles, I find THAT offensive and so do many other Christians. I wonder, if Daniel worked in customer service today, if he would have been coerced into telling people “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy Holidays”? My guess is that he would have continued to wish people a merry Christmas and let the chips fall where they may.

   A couple of great modern-day examples of bucking this system were lived out right in front of me just a few years ago. At the time, I worked for an international accounting firm that did it’s best to tolerate and accept and to be politically correct about absolutely everything they did because they had people from truly every walk of life in their employ. BUT, in our little St. Louis office, we were led by real leaders. One such person arranged for us to have a Thanksgiving dinner every fall and, before eating, he would ask one of our Christian friends to lead us in a blessing…and she blessed the food and the people in the name Jesus Christ. No one was offended. No one complained. No one sued the company. It was a natural thing to do. In another instance, the managing partner over the entire office said, “I know I’m supposed to tell you happy holidays, but, what the hell…well all know it’s Christmas and I’m telling you all to have a merry CHRISTMAS!”  lol These are great examples of regular, everyday people who, despite the corporate edict and social pressures that would dictate completely opposite behaviors, these men understood that it’s still appropriate to honor God in today’s culture. 

   – The other train of thought my mind took on was this:
   Praying to God became illegal for Daniel. I’ve often imagined what it would be like to be here during the end times, when the mark of the beast is required to buy and sell goods and Christians are widely persecuted for demonstrating their belief in God. Some of this even goes on today…ask any missionary. There ARE places where Christianity is illegal. If you were there now, would you be bold enough to honor God despite the consequences? Honestly, when I imagine it, I picture myself hiding in my home, shades drawn and doors locked, and I rebelliously begin praying anyway, quietly, in a strong whisper. But with the windows open, boldly, loudly, regardless of the repercussions? Wow. That’s an entirely different level of commitment. Could I trust God the way Daniel trusted Him? Could you?  

4. And, finally, my fourth and final point from the story…anyone who tries to scheme against God’s chosen people will eventually get their comeuppance. What happened when the king got to the hole and found Daniel alive? He declared Daniel’s God to be the God of the entire land and he fed the lions with the live bodies of the deceivers and their entire families. God does not take it lightly when someone attacks His chosen people. You may never see how God vindicates you when you’ve been wronged, but you can be sure that He is a just God and He will exact His will upon the evil-doers of the world in order to set things straight for the upright believers who love and follow Him.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little walk with Daniel. I know I did. What little nuggets did God show you in the story, and how will you apply the Truths you’ve discovered to your own life? Share with me by commenting on this post. I LOVE to see what God is saying to my friends and family too!