Thursday, October 10, 2013

Daniel 6:18-21

"Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever."
Daniel 6:18-21


This is part of the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den.  There are some parallels here to the story of Esther... in both, the king is tricked into condemning someone that he respects and loves because of the machinations and jealousies of the King's advisors.  In this case, the king, though working on it all day, is unable to find a way to save Daniel from his decree.  He worries about it all night... doesn't eat, doesn't sleep, and he runs to the den in the morning.  He must have had some slight hope that Daniel was still alive, but his lamentable voice makes it seem like he was equally expecting to find his trusted servant and friend dead.  And I love that Daniel is alive.  That it was God's will that he be saved and the plot to destroy him nullified through a miracle. :)  And I love that Daniel still shows respect for the king according to tradition instead of yelling to be set free. :)  He's calm.  ... And I look at that, and it is what I want.  I want to be able to be in scary situations or situations that would normally rattle anyone, and I want to be able to have that kind of faith.  To know that whatever God decides is okay, and right.  Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego... they knew that God was able to deliver them, but didn't know for sure whether he would.  But even if not, they weren't willing to sacrifice their worship of God.
Today, let's work on our faith and our confidence in God.  Let's remember that he can always save us, but even in those times that he chooses not to, he still is doing what is best for us.  If we do things God's way, then no matter what, we can have confidence in the future.  We can have that inner peace and trust that helps us to know that even amidst the chaos, we can still be okay.  God gives us that peace and that stability, as we turn to and trust in him.

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