Reflection on Daniel 6 The story of Daniel in the lion's den is well known. As a young boy Daniel was brought to Babylon as a captive when Babylon raided Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord blessed him greatly and by the time we reach Daniel 6, he along with two others oversaw the affairs of the entire kingdom.
However, Daniel's progress caused jealousy among his peers, and they devised a plot to have him executed. As I read through this portion of Scripture, there was one verse that stood out to me, verse 10. It says that when Daniel learned of the plot to have him killed, he went home and prayed - 3 times d day as he had always done. Another translation says "...he prayed...as in his early days."
A principle I want to highlight here is that Daniel had established a good routine early in his life. By praying consistently, he maintained a close relationship with the Lord. When trouble came, we see that Daniel did not panic. He simply continued to do the right thing - he prayed. He didn't question what happened, or feel the need to do anything different. You see, over the years, Daniel practised doing the right thing - it was a part of him. Therefore when trouble came his way, all he had to do was stand firm, and continue practising the godly principles already established.
It should be the same with us today. Let us not wait until some adverse situation or negative consequence comes before we begin applying God's word to every area of our lives. Let me give an example to illustrate. If you practise doing a good day's work for a good day's pay, then the threat of redundancy or even the possibility of promotion should not change your work ethic i.e. you should not work less hard because of redundancy or any harder for promotion. You should have been already doing your best from the outset.
When we like Daniel seek to live for God and practise His word in our daily lives, then He will take care of us, as He did Daniel. After being thrown into the lion's den, God kept Daniel so that he was not harmed at all. God granted him justice.
You may say "well Daniel started early in life, so it was easy". Yes he started early in life but no matter what stage of life you are in, it is never to late to start practising God's word. He loves you and wants the best for you. Once we desire to practise doing what's right, He is there to empower us and help us along the way. No matter what area of life you may be struggling in, like Daniel you can establish a godly routine in that area - whether at work, in family life/marriage or finances etc. back to top |
