God still seeks to use us to do glorious things. Are we willing?
Daniel and the Lion’s Den is probably one of the most well known stories in the Bible. It has all of the elements of a made for Hollywood movie. There’s a Godly man minding his own business, trying to live a good life, who has an incredibly strong character. There are jealous antagonists who plot against him. They use his righteousness not only to try to remove him from power, but to kill him in a horrible way.
The bad guys seem to win when Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den. But, then good wins, when he comes out miraculously, without a scratch. In a manner of true justice, the bad guys are then tossed into the same lion’s den where they are devoured immediately. Roll the credits.
Isn’t that the perfect Hollywood story? Of course the famously secular Hollywood would have left out the true meat of the story. Hollywood would gloss over the God part. They might refer to God ever so lightly, as a higher power of some sort. Daniel would be characterized as a good guy, not a Godly one. They would see no need to bring God into the scenario.
They would miss the entire point of the story. Daniel wasn’t saved by some unknown mystical force. He was saved by God.
By the time Daniel faced the lion’s den, he had lived through Nebuchadnezzar’s reign where his death was imminent if he couldn’t interpret the king’s dreams. He and his friends prayed and God delivered them. He had already witnessed Sharach’s, Meshach’s and Abednego’s miraculous deliverance from the fiery furnace. He had seen God strike King Belshazzar dead, for drinking out of cups stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem and praising idols in the process.
Through all of these trials, Daniel remained steadfast in his faith and God rewarded him time and time again. Most scholars believe that Daniel was in his eighties by the time the lion’s den presented itself. This was just one more way for God to use a willing Daniel to show His power and protection of those who love and worship Him.
This story is not so much about Daniel or the lions, but about the God who stands by those who remain faithful. Daniel had been growing his faith for many years. He wasn’t a new convert.
Our calling today is really not that much different from Daniel’s. God still seeks to do the miraculous through us, but like Daniel, we must grow our faith over time, through Bible study, prayer, and worship with other faithful followers.
We all face lions of some sort. They can range from doubts, to debt, to sickness, to relationship issues and anything in between. God can still shut their mouths just as He did for Daniel. We all have the ability to grow that kind of faith, the kind that changes the hearts and minds of all of those who hear our stories or cross our paths.
The question is if we are willing to make the effort to grow it. Are we willing to be the vessels for our glorious God or are we content to do the Hollywood version and gloss over Him? The choice is ours.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂