Shutting the Mouths of Lions

We are living in times when our faith is being challenged from all angles. It seems that what the Bible calls evil has become the accepted norm in society. It seems that if you take a stand for your Christian convictions you may be labeled as a hater. But today, I want to remind you that success comes from the Lord; no matter what your situation may be.

In Daniel 6, a new king had conquered territory and was organizing it. He placed 120 leaders to oversee the land. Over the 120, he placed 3 administrators. Daniel was one of those men selected. However, the king promoted Daniel over the other two men causing jealousy. Daniel was selected because of his trustworthy character (v 4). Take note that there will always be people who do not want to see you succeed. These men were so jealous that they had to come up with a plan to get rid of Daniel. The only way they could do that was by attacking what was most important to Daniel: his faith. They secretly met and came up with a new law stating that no one should pray to anybody else but the king for the next 30 days. The kind accepted the proposition and signed the deal. Anybody breaking the law would be thrown into the lion’s den. Daniel was caught and thrown into the lion’s den, but God miraculously intervened on his behalf.

Daniel was a guy who faithfully served the Lord as he served in a foreign kingdom. Yet, Daniel experienced success. Daniel served a king who did not fear the Lord and lived in a society that was less than ideal for his faith. Yet, Daniel experienced God’s success without compromising his faith. As I thought about Daniel, I took note of three characteristics that contributed to Daniel’s success.

1. HABITS: In v. 10 we see Daniel praying , “ just as he had done before.” Daniel was in the habit of praying three times a day. A habit is something you do on daily basis. It is the norm. Daniel understood the importance of being in constant communication with God. Communication is an essential part of forming a good relationship. Many times we wish we to have a strong relationship with God, but we don’t do anything to change our bad habits. How many times do we pray, but don’t quiet ourselves to let God speak? Instead, we rush through prayer feeling satisfied that we can “check off” prayer from our list. God is more interested in the quality time you invest instead of the number of minutes. God is more interested in relationship and closeness than a to-do list. What habits do you need to start changing in order to come closer to God? Remember: it’s ok to start to small. The important thing is to start and stay consistent.

2. FAITHFULNESS: Verse 10 continues to say that when Daniel heard about the decree he went home, got on his knees and prayed. Although he knew the consequences for not complying with the king’s orders, Daniel continued to pray openly and to give thanks. Many times our circumstances rob us of intimacy with God. We get so caught up in our problems that we forget that God is bigger than our problems. This is not to say that our problems are not real or important, but it’s to magnify how great our God is. When we remain focused and faithful to God, God strengthens us and empowers us as we go through difficulties. Our level of faithfulness to God is an indicator of how close we are to Him. The more we know Him, the more we trust Him, and the more we obey Him.

3. HUMBLENESS: In verses 11-12 we see how Daniel’s enemies witnessed how he humbled himself before the Lord in prayer. To be humble means to not be arrogant and to know your limitations. Daniel knew that only God could save him and so he responded by praying and asking God for help. Lack of prayer in our lives is an indicator of pride. Likewise, communication with God is an indicator of us understanding how much we need Him in our lives.

When you are in relationship with God and choose to be faithful and humble, God moves in your favor. God will shut the mouths of lions for you. He is faithful.

THEY WILL HAVE NO FEAR OF BAD NEWS; THEIR HEARTS ARE STEADFAST, TRUSTING IN THE LORD.

Psalm 112:7