Their eyes
were glued to him.
Daniel’s blood pulsed through his
veins faster than before as he stared into the hungry eyes of lions. He brushed
off the dirt on his skinned-up knees and hands as the last bit of daylight was
sucked from the dungeon.
No longer could Daniel see the full
body of the beasts. Only their glowing eyes were visible as he gazed into the
darkness. The king was punishing Daniel.
And, Daniel had done everything
right.
He prayed
to God daily, obeyed His laws, and loved God even when the government told him
that doing so would bring death. Three times a day, Daniel knelt and prayed to
his God despite the decree issued by the king, and now, Daniel was paying the
consequences of following God unashamedly—the lion’s den. (Read Daniel 6 for
the full story).
What amazes
me about Daniel’s story is that he wasn’t caught off guard by the consequence
of the lion’s den. King Darius didn’t hide the fact that anyone who bowed or
prayed to a god other than King Darius himself would be ripped to shreds by the
teeth of ravenous lions; Daniel knew the truth, the risk, yet he prayed to the
Great I Am just as he had before.
He was
willing to lay everything down for God.
One day,
the risk became a reality as Daniel was arrested and brought to the lion’s den.
King Darius ordered him inside and sealed the exit hole so that no one could
enter or exit.
Whether or
not Daniel would stay true to God came down to this moment. He could deny God
and beg the king for forgiveness or Daniel could trust God and be cast into the
lions’ den. Daniel chose the second option despite impending death.
How could
Daniel make this brave choice?
Well,
Daniel had decided to follow God no matter the cost, and he knew the truth
about God: He is our refuge and shield.
Psalm 91 states, “If you say, The
Lord is my refuge, and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will
overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels
concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their
hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on
the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent” (NIV, Psalm
91:9-13).
Daniel had put his trust in God and
knew that God would protect him even in a lion’s den. Nothing could touch
Daniel that God didn’t allow. No, the Bible doesn't tell us that Daniel absolutely knew that God would
save his life, but that obviously didn’t matter to Daniel; he served God no
matter the cost and so should we.
Like Daniel, are you willing to serve God no matter the cost?
Living Life Together,
Rebecca Thomas
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