So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him, and he could not sleep.
Daniel 6:16-18
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I love this story! I have vivid memories of felt lions and four felt men on a board… and sitting in a circle, on the edge of our seats…wondering if they survived the ordeal! And, yes, they did. Because God shut the mouths of the lions that were sent to destroy him. Miraculous? Oh yes, it was!
See, the king had some people that were jealous of Daniel and his wisdom. But the king actually trusted Daniel and looked to him for advice and answers to his dreams and visions. The king had seen with his own eyes that the God Daniel served was the real deal. But these other servants to the king wanted Daniel to go away. So they came up with a crazy law that decreed that all were to bow down and worship the king (and only the king). What did Daniel do when this decree went out? He went to his home and bowed—to the One true God!
When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel petitioning and imploring his God. So they approached the king and asked about his edict: “Didn’t you sign an edict that for 30 days any man who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands and is irrevocable.” Then they replied to the king, “Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you, the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day.” As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him. Then these men went to the king and said to him, “You as king know it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed.” So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
Daniel 6:10-16
Most of us know the ending to this story, and we know that the next morning, Daniel was still standing. But I wonder if there is another point to this story, too. Did you notice in the verses above, that Daniel prayed on his knees three times a day…and gave thanks to God. This was preparing him for what was to come. He had no idea that he was praying up for a trip to the den of lions, now did he? Sometimes neither do we, but we pray over time; we are getting suited up for something.
What have you been thrown into today? Do you need God to shut the mouths of some lions today? I have no idea the hard that you are walking through, but I do know Who is walking with you! He will never leave you, ever. And a bunch of big lions don’t scare Him! I encourage you to start being intentional about praying to Him. Make hard stops every day so that you are staying in constant contact with your Creator. He loves you so very much and He wants to go to battle for you…just let Him have it all.
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Let us pray: Dear Lord, You are our Father and our Mighty God! You are the same every day and we thank You for that. In a hard world that changes so much, we are so grateful that You are constant. Lord, I pray that when times are hard, that we will turn to You. When times are stressful, we will turn to You. And when we are so exhausted and are at the end, that we will turn to You. Give us victory over the lions and keep us safe! We love you! In Jesus’ name, amen.
