One of the stories of the Bible I like is Daniel in the lion’s den. And I believe that many people, when they read about this story, think that Daniel must have been very courageous in the lions’ den. But when you read the whole story, you don’t find any description of Daniel’s experience in the den. We don’t really know if he was brave in the den or not. He could have spent the evening bent in the corner and crying like a baby… We know nothing! But we know one thing: he tells the king that God had shut the mouths of the lions. You know why? Because Daniel did not start facing the lions when he was put in the lion’s den. He started facing the lions before!
My brother, my sister, Daniel is giving us a lesson: as Christians we have to be like him who prayed daily and had integrity.
Yes, being like Daniel means serving God continually in every aspect of your life, it means having the courage and faith to live in such a way that God actually has a platform to show His faithfulness from. It also means, we should not wait until bad things happen to us to start, in urgency, developing a prayer life and a great faith. Daniel’s den experience turned out the way it did because of his daily, ordinary, diligent prayer life and faith. And this faith is what allowed God to intervene.
Remember that the Bible says you cannot please God without faith! What lion is threatening your peace right now? Joblessness? Immigration problems? Marriage issues? Sickness? Problems with children? Love? Whatever the name of that lion, if you’re already in the den, it is not too late because Jesus has already defeated that lion anyway. But before any lion comes to threaten you, do like Daniel who was as human as you and me are. The problem with most of us is that because we are living in a world of fast-experiences, fast-food, fast-phones, fast-lies, etc. most people want to see a fast-God who does huge things in their lives. But the same people will never seize the opportunity to prove God’s faithfulness when they face a lion because they have not proved their faith in everyday life before they faced the lion! We need to learn to rely on the Lord 24/7, not only in times of need. That is why some unbelievers out there think that only ‘poor’ people pray God and they don’t see the need for God in their lives. And they don’t understand that someone who is not ‘poor’ is a Christian… Our complete commitment can teach those kind of people that we don’t go to the Lord because we are in need… we go to Him to keep our precious relationship with Him, because we love Him and above all because He loved us first. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.