Week 3: In The Lion's Den

It's that time again...welcome to the third week of the Lenten season! If you need to catch up on the last few weeks, you can click in the section titled 'My God Will Hear Me' to the right of this post. If you're ready for this week, we'll be discussing how God can provide when our fate seems pretty inevitable. 

When was the last time you read the story of Daniel and the Lion's den? For me, it was when I taught Sunday School during my junior year of high school and before then: it was when I was learning that lesson in Sunday school. There are stories that become child-like to us like Noah's Ark, Joseph and his brothers, David and Goliath...you get the gist. We tend to teach them to young children all the time but forget how important they are to us when we get older! That's why I decided to write about the story of Daniel in the lion's den for this week. 

The story of Daniel and his friends reveal the character as God the protector. In every trial they face, God not only delivers them, but transforms the hearts of those around them. In the first time this happens, we are introduced to Daniel and his three friends as they are chosen to serve in the Royal Palace of Babylon, but they're expected to live like Babylonians and violate the Jewish food laws that God had given them. They decide to honor God's commands for His people and to eat like God had intended the Israelites to eat and in return, God had granted the wisdom and understanding to be great men of service in comparison to the other men chosen who ate and drank like the Babylonians. The second time this happens is when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to honor the king's request to worship King Nebuchadnezzar as a god. Despite being sentenced to death by being thrown in a furnace of fire, God not only delivers and protects them from any harm but sends an angel there to be with them in the fire. Now, to the point of this post: Daniel in the lion's den. 

In the story of Daniel in the den, we see two things. The first is a call to action and  the second is a promise. Over and over again, Daniel and his friends are faced with a challenge: to honor God or to honor the king. At first glance, one might think "why wouldn't they just honor God in private and honor the king in order to spare their own lives?" To that I would say, what is keeping you from honoring God in all aspects of your life regardless of what may come? Are you more afraid of the world than you are of God? Daniel and his friends demonstrate what we call the fear of the Lord; not a debilitating fear that causes you to have anxiety and stress in your lives, but a fear that motivates you to serve Him no matter what may come. Daniel knew that he could die in the lion's den. I mean, it's a den of lions. However he also knew that his God would be there with him through every step of the way, and that's what leads us to our second point: a promise. God's promise to hear and protect us doesn't come lightly. In the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, God not only protects them but also walks with them. In the story of Daniel in the lion's den, God not only shuts the mouths of lions but also sends angels to comfort them and Daniel. God never promises to keep us out of scary and bad situations. After reading these stories, I think that's something we can all agree on. However God will always be there with us through the fire and in the lion's den, protecting us, comforting us, and proving time and time again that He is a God that hears the cries of His people. 

Daniel's story humbles me to serve God no matter the trials and errors that come alongside it. It calls me to serve God for the transformation of not only the world, but the hearts of those around me. If Daniel teaches us one thing, let it be that God will hear our cries and because of that, let us not be afraid to honor Him with our actions, our words, and our whole lives.