~Old Testament Scenarios~
Daniel
“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 6:16 (NIV)
"What Lion-like Pit Are You In Today?"
You know that saying, “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time?” On the surface, it certainly seems true in Daniel’s case. It is so easy for most of us to prejudge these kinds of situations and think that God has abandoned or forgotten about one of His own. But, we will see this is never the case. I do have to wonder when Daniel himself heard the news that he was about to be thrown into a pit of lions. Did he feel the rush of his blood pressure rise up to pound within his own ear drums? Did he feel the need to swallow down the nausea that might have been rising up in his throat? I’d like to know, how does one even take in the words, “You’re going to be thrown into a lion’s den for the night”?
What lion-like pit are you facing? Does it feel as though you stand alone or that nothing is going your way? You are NOT in the wrong place at the wrong time (and neither was Daniel). You are in a great position to stand in faith and wait for the Lord to deliver you…and for His glory! His grace is far reaching. Your deliverance may not be exactly how you pictured it, in fact, it probably won’t be, but it will be how the Lord sees best. Don’t waste the opportunity to shine for God by giving up too soon. Hold on to His promises.
Darius the Mede, who succeed Belshazzar as ruler in the Kingdom of Babylon, had established a decree that no one could ask a petition from their God or any man for 30 days. The king’s lords/princes trapped the king into this decree. They knew that Daniel would not let anything stop him from praying to his God and because jealousy had poisoned their hearts, they set this trap for the king and for Daniel. Daniel was a Jew, taken into captivity as a young boy from his homeland of Judah. Because of the closeness Daniel had with the Living God, his spirit was trained in the service of the court and became a high ranking advisor. Because Daniel was preferred over the other 120 lords/princes and rose to the rank of chief president, it was then that the others conspired to bring him down. They knew the only way they could find anything against him was in the way Daniel prayed to God. The book of Ezekiel reminds us that Daniel, Job, and Noah had a pattern of righteousness. Although Daniel was busy with his daily demands, he always took time to pray three times a day in order to commune with the Lord. Daniel personally knew Yahweh Tsuri, The Lord My Rock. And God did deliver him from that pit.
I think the king’s comment is pretty powerful for each of us. He states to Daniel that the God he continually serves will deliver him. Do others see that kind of devotion we have to the Living Lord? Would anyone that knows us be confident enough to state that they know we walk that closely with our Savior?
What’s your pit? Are you thinking you are too far down to be seen or heard? Well… cry out to Jesus and stand firm on His promise to deliver you. The Lord loves to do His work in those deep pits - it lets everyone witness that it had to be Him who saved!
Let others witness God’s faithfulness by the way we share the miraculous with them. Go ahead, brag on God. He loves it. Do we have the faith that even this king is displaying by trusting that the Lord will deliver us out of our most pressing situation? I’m convicted here and I’m also encouraged… I can only hope you are too!
This is your day; God has given it to you. What will you do with it? When you are pressed on all sides, persecuted by others, will you stand in the knowledge that your God is in control and He will be with you and deliver you from it?
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Ephesians 4:1-6 (NIV)