I am sure we all remember the story
of Daniel in the lions’ den, which you may read in the book of Daniel, chapter six
- HERE. But I would like to have a closer
look at it.
We read in Daniel 6:4: “At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds
for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were
unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was
trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.” Immediately I hear you
say that this is a high standard to follow and that you can’t possibly be like
that, and I wholeheartedly agree. It does not sit within my personality to be
like that and I also know that all of us do have a flaw somewhere, which is why
the LORD told Paul when he admitted his weaknesses in 2 Corinthians 12:7 and
asked the Lord to take it away: “My grace is sufficient
for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” (verse 9). We may
not feel perfect, but in Jesus we are perfect and we need to live as if we are
perfect in Christ, whilst we make every effort to get there in terms of our
behaviour (Philippians 2:12-13).
However, one flaw that Daniel did
not have and we don’t have to have either, since it is a choice, was to pray
continuously. “Now
when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his
upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he
got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done
before,” (Daniel 6:10). I love it! Daniel challenged these guys. He was
not stupid or naive and knew the kind of relationship he had with King Darius.
He also knew the king would not have issued such a decree, had he remembered
Daniel’s devotion to the LORD. To get into the kind of position Daniel had been
in, one had to have a relationship with your superior, which in Daniel’s case
was king Darius, and the king therefore would have known Daniel well as we
rightly see in his response when Daniel was brought before him.
What do we learn from this?
Christianity is very much a feet-on-the-ground type of lifestyle. Some of us
tend to super spiritualise our faith by wanting to experience the power of the
LORD through physical experiences, such as falling over and so on. We read,
however, in Galatians 3:11: “The righteous shall live by faith,” and in 2
Corinthians 5:7: “We
live by faith, not by sight.” We therefore live in a real world, just like Daniel did
and we build real relationships, just like he did, and we have to deal with our
enemies and those who oppose us, just like he did in a real and practical way
with the help of our LORD, by faith. He had no evidence that the lions would
not eat him – only faith in the Lord he trusted.
Being in touch with his environment
Daniel probably suspected that he had been framed by his enemies and, being in
touch with the LORD, the Holy Spirit probably would have given him a word of
knowledge. Daniel thus walked into the situation prepared mentally and
spiritually, ready to see the Lord’s action in response to his faith and
faithfulness. We should be the same. I think poor king Darius worried more than
Daniel did. I loved it when “the king said to Daniel, ‘May
your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!’” (verse 16). It
depicts camaraderie, almost like winking at one another knowing that our enemies
have been outsmarted.
Can you see that Christianity is a
practical day to day faith relationship with the LORD of hosts, and not an airy
fairy emotional experience on a Sunday? I wish this was taught more in our
churches, especially in the charismatic churches who often put much emphasis on
the latter. Yes the LORD does do miracles and deliverance and all these kinds
of helps, but it has nothing to do with emotional sensations. “For this is what the high and lofty
One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy
place, but also with him who is contrite
and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite,’” (Isaiah 57:15).
When people experience your faith,
would they bring glory to God like Darius did in Daniel 6:25-27?
Lord, help me understand the
practicality of faith.
Thank you Lord that your Word went
out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you
empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which
you sent it.
Please pass this on if you think others may
benefit by it.
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