“Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.” – Daniel 6:23
Already an old man and a faithful servant and advisor to many kings, Daniel once again was tested in his faith. His enemies sought to bring him down by making it illegal to worship any other god. So what did Daniel do? He continued to worship God. Three times each day he prayed to the Lord and for that he was arrested and thrown into a den of hungry lions.
When the law was made, Daniel didn’t make a big deal about it. He didn’t protest it. He didn’t flee it. He wasn’t disrespectful or defiant. He also didn’t submit to it. Daniel quietly obeyed God and disobeyed the law. The law changed nothing about how Daniel praised, prayed, and worshiped God. This is a powerful example to each of us! Daniel had absolutely no interest in compromising his faith or disobeying God simply to obey an earthly law, even though it could cost him his life. Daniel was a smart man who understood the consequences and chose God’s approval over that of powerful people.
Because of his quiet, steadfast faith Daniel was once again rescued by God, this time from the jaws of hungry lions. God was revealed to a pagan king through Daniel’s willingness to quietly die for his faith. God’s power, God’s faithfulness, and God’s kindness were made publicly visible, because Daniel trusted in his God.
We won’t all have a “Daniel” moment in our lives, but we should all be prepared for one. We should be prepared to suffer consequences for our faith and to do so with grace and love toward our enemies, just as Christ commanded and demonstrated. We won’t all receive a “Daniel” rescue here on earth, but we should trust that God can absolutely provide such rescue. We should also remember that our ultimate rescue will never be on earth, but will be into the eternal love and presence of Christ our Savior.