The LORD is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident . . . For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Hear my voice when I call O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me . . . I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27: 1-3, 5-7, 13, 14, NIV.
Holy God, here we are in Your presence, needing a Word from You. Please speak, to us in clear, meaningful, tones! As we listen, may our hearts be encouraged to keep pressing on, and praying on, because we will receive power from on high. This we claim in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
We will continue where we left off yesterday. Yesterday we ended on a high note: “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling[.]” Daniel’s peers had accused him before king Darius, that he was not living in accordance with the king’s decree. What was the king’s decree? We read in Daniel 6: 7c, “[W]hoever prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions.” The issue was to decide who, or what, he would obey; God or man, the law of the land, or the law of God! When there is a conflict between these two, true Christians will experience a day of trouble. “But Peter and the other apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5: 29, NRSV). That is the stand of a true Christian.
Some may argue, “Couldn’t Daniel have continued praying to God, but with his windows closed?” That is a fair question. I am not in a position to answer for Daniel, but I submit the following for your consideration: When king Solomon prayed the prayer of dedication of the temple that he had built for the LORD, a very important part of that prayer addressed the position that is taken at the time of prayer, “toward their land,” (1 Kings 8: 47-49) whether at home, or abroad. Another important element in prayer for the Jews were the hours that prayer was made. Counting from the rising of the sun, they prayed at the third hour (the time of the morning sacrifice), at the sixth hour, and at the ninth hour (the time of the evening sacrifice). I believe that Daniel wanted to feel as close as possible to what was going on in the temple at home. Therefore, he left the windows open in order to look toward the direction of the temple! What I want us to consider at this time is the following promise:
[H]e will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me[.]” Soon king Darius was aware that not only Daniel had been trapped, but so had he! Thank God for people in high places who are led by the Spirit of the living God! Their reward in heaven is sure! Sacred Scripture informs us that, “until the sun went down he made every effort to rescue [Daniel]” (6: 14c). But there are things that God and God alone can, and must, do for His children, so that everyone will know Who the real Savior is! So that they will “not be afraid, [but will] stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for [them]” (Exodus 14: 13a). So that people will learn to, “Stand still and know that [He is] God” (Psalm 46: 10)!
Just before giving up his efforts, his words to Daniel were: “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you” (16c,emphasis provided)! My friends, as I said once before, “Our God is the “Multi-tasker” (a word of my making, I believe) par excellence! While He is busy saving the life of one of His children, He is also working to save the soul, of another! The king fasted, and could not sleep, that night . Early the following morning he hastened to the lion’s den, to inquire, ” ‘O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the lions” (20b, emphasis provided)? “Did He hide you in the shelter of His tabernacle and set you high on a rock, where the lions could not get you? Now He has commissioned me to exalt your head above the enemies who surround you” (my paraphrase)! “So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (28)! He was now on his way to becoming a top executive in a third government, that of the Persians! What a mighty God we serve! Stand still and watch God give to your enemies what they determined against you; and prosper you above measure! Because, “Jesus never fails!” Hallelujah!
We will continue tomorrow!