Before The Lion's Den

In Daniel 6 is the account of Daniel and the lions den. Many may be familiar with this powerful story. It is a reminder of God's protection working in our lives. I want to revisit this story, but emphasize three points leading up to Daniel's encounter with those ferocious beasts.

1. Daniel didn’t solely rely on God's favor or God given abilities.

In Daniel 1, Daniel and his 3 friends are exiled to Babylon. God gave him favor with the chief of staff residing over them. (verse 9) God had also blessed him with understanding, wisdom, and the ability to interpret dreams. (verse 17)

Now when we fast forward to Daniel 6 it’s actually decades later. Contrary to popular belief, Daniel was around 80 and not the young man he’s often depicted as in illustrations. Daniel had lived through many reigns of foreign kings and managed to maintain a prominent role. It'd be easy to equate Daniel's success as God's favor and given abilities, but that wouldn't be entirely true.

In verse 3 it says Daniel “proved himself capable” over the others. It also points out in the following verse his promotion struck a nerve with the other administrators and high officers. They began to look for flaws in how he handled business affairs, but the Bible says they couldn't find any. Verse 4 goes onto say "He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy."

Daniel had a developed character. Faithfulness, responsibility, and being trustworthy, are traits that are learned and chosen. They are derived from conscious decisions to live that way. Sometimes we may think favor and talent is all we need to get by in life and that's not true. Favor and abilities can open doors for us, but character keeps those doors open.

Saul had God's favor and it led him to become king. However, he never developed his character and lost his kingdom to David. Saul was arrogant and prideful, and lacked respect for God's words. He did not learn from his multiple rebukes and chances. David his successor, was in no way perfect, but he was teachable. Every time his shortcomings and sins were pointed out, he was repentant and made efforts to change. That is a depiction of someone growing and allowing character to be developed. Daniel had let God shape his character so much that his enemies couldn't find fault with him.

2. Daniel’s enemies attacked the reason for his good character.

Daniel's enemies were unsuccessful finding fault in him, so they moved on to attack his Foundation. Even in a foreign land, Daniel maintained his walk with God. The same could not be said for all the other exiles. His enemies knew that if they got the king to sign the decree that he be worshipped, Daniel wouldn't comply. They knew even when faced with death, Daniel wouldn't desert his God. They could've only come to that conclusion by watching Daniel's lifestyle. They even watched and studied Daniel enough to know where to find him after their plan was set in motion. Daniel was found in his house praying. (Verses 5-11)

Sometimes we forget the world is watching. Sometimes we forget there are people out there actively trying to see if our lives match what we preach. People can sometimes be won over by words, but most people are won over by our actions. The world is looking for and in need of genuine and true believers. They are tired of charlatans who profess Christ, but act more like the devil. Daniel's life matched and they used it against him to trap him in their evil plot. This brings me to my last point.

3. Bad news did not disrupt Daniel's commitment to God.

As soon as Daniel heard about the decree, he knew he was a dead man. The king’s order couldn’t be rescinded. Instead of freaking out or running to plead his case with the king, what did he do? He went about his day like he always did. He went home to pray and give thanks to God like he always had with his windows open towards Jerusalem. (Verse 10) Daniel wasn’t even trying to hide what he was doing.

It’s not an accident the Bible references his prayer life and routine. Daniel learned that you win battles on your knees. You fix problems that are beyond you by bringing them to God. In verse 12 it adds he was asking God for His help.

I realize there have been times I've received life altering bad news and God wasn't the first place I turned. I had moments where I pulled a "Jonah " and ran away from God. I eventually came full circle, but my goal is to stop wasting time running, sitting in fear, and letting anxiety and worry overtake me. My goal is when bad things come my way that it doesn't alter my walk with God, it only strengthens it. I want to have my faith deeply rooted like Daniel, that God is my first stop and my only stop.

I also realize that trust and faith like Daniel, comes with time. Again, Daniel was around 80 in chapter 6. He had had a lifetime of seeing God’s faithfulness and walking with Him. Our journey with God is just that, a journey. It will have ups and downs, and it’s inevitable we will falter and make mistakes along the way. However if we keep God at the center, we will always get back on track. Every day, week, month, and year we continue to consciously walk with God, we are allowing our character to be developed. I aim for the unshakable commitment to God of Daniel. Even if my very life is at stake, I won’t be moved. I fully believe, Daniel conquered the lions and gained victory over his enemies before he even stepped foot in that den. Daniel’s victory came on his knees in prayer before the Lord like he did day after day.