Daniel 5 is a great chapter. There was writing on the wall. Revelation reigned and promotion pursued. Daniel was put in a place of authority because of God’s hand. All was good.
Then Chapter 6 hit….
The earth shook.
An edict was given that no one should pray to any god except the king. The administrators and satraps of the King were not pleased that Daniel was raised to be an administrator over them. They especially didn’t like the fact that the king intended to set Daniel over the whole kingdom due to his exceptional leadership ability. Maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was envy….I really don’t know for certain. Whatever it was, they were trying to stop this man of God regardless of whether they played fair or not.
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 NIV*
Yet, when many would have been shaken to core of their being, Daniel did as before and continued on the avenue of “righteousness.” He stayed “right in God’s eyes.” He sought the Lord and gave thanks in the face of adversity. He continued to pray, letting all see. He ran to and trusted in God.
How do we set in the face of adversity? How do we fair when unrighteousness places us in a den of trouble? I’ve had to ask myself, “How do I look when adversity comes? What happens when trouble looms or even simply when I don’t get my way? Do I trust God to see me through, even when I feel I’ve been wrongly placed in a situation (in my past, during childhood, in my marriage, in work, today)? Do I, like Daniel, sit in His presence, offering prayers and thanks continually? What’s in my heart? What comes to the surface, flowing out of my mouth, or rolling in my head?”
Do we continue to sit in the lion’s den, especially if it’s something of the past, awaiting the lion to devour us, or do we turn our eyes toward Jesus, our faithful Deliverer? Do we allow Him to provide for our deliverance from the den? Do we allow Him to be our protection, to be the One who covers over the situation and pulls us through it successfully?
Daniel stayed true, keeping his compass set on the Lord, even though others weren’t playing the game fairly. He found himself thrown into the lion’s den, yet he found solace and safety in the very place that “man” had intended for harm. The Lord protected him.
And when Daniel was lifted from the den,
no wound was found on him,
because he had trusted in his God.
Daniel 6:23b NIV*
Trusting in God…shall we dare go there? Shall we dare go there when it’s something of the past, when it’s something we were innocent concerning, such a wrong committed to us in childhood? Do we dare go there when we’ve been sitting in the lion’s den for years? Do we dare go there when someone wronged us when we were “doing nothing wrong?”
Are you ready to be rescued from the den? It’s time…and He is able. We no longer have to sit with the lions. we can be lifted up, rescued and brought to spiritual safety by our Father.
We have the same God as Daniel. He can take those situations where we’ve been wrongly placed or wrongly accused and can turn them into beauty. He can provide a way out of that den of lions and we’ll find no wounds on ourselves. He’ll protect us and deliver us.
He is faithful.
Father,
I come to You today praising Your name for Your strength and ability. I thank You for being able to rescue me from the pit. I don’t want to be there any longer, regardless of who put me there. Father, I want deliverance in the name of Jesus. Please bring me out of that pit. You’re an amazing God and I’m thankful to be yours. I believe in Your ability. I believe in Your power. I believe in Your love.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Prayer from me (Kristi) for you:
Father,
Thank You for my friend today. I come alongside them, agreeing with them in prayer and lifting them to Your Holy Name. There is no other on earth through Whom we can be saved…it is You! How wonderful You are! May Your glorious name go before my friend. May Your glorious love and strength safely rescue them from the pit. By the power and name of Jesus, I pray they are delivered from that nasty pit and those nasty, yet powerless lions….regardless of how long they have been there. I pray that you sever these wrong roots in their lives and bring them into the fullness of Your love. All power be Yours…and may it be displayed in these girls’ lives for now and evermore. Praise You, Jesus!
In Your name I pray and ask these things.
Amen
He is faithful. See you outside of the pit!
With Love,
Kristi
Leave a Reply