When King Darius took over from King Nebuchadnezzar, he found Daniel to be a very effective administrator, so he gave him more and more responsibilities. This stirred up the envy of other leaders, who were determined to bring Daniel down a peg or two. However, they had a problem because no one could find anything for which to criticise him. He was said to be faithful, always responsible and completely trustworthy (Daniel 6:4). The only way they could trip him up was by introducing a new law which said that no one could pray to anyone other than the king. The king duly passed this law and the penalty for disobeying it was to be thrown into a den of lions – a horrifying way to die.

Daniel was in the habit of praying three times a day, and nothing was going to stop him. He was therefore arrested and thrown into the lion enclosure. It’s clear that King Darius thought highly of Daniel and was eager to save him, but there was nothing he could do. The night that Daniel was in the lions’ den, King Darius couldn’t sleep a wink, and first thing in the morning, he anxiously went to visit the den. He cried out, asking whether Daniel’s God had saved him, and Daniel confirmed that he had. The king was overjoyed and responded by worshipping God and ordering that Daniel’s accusers and their families should be thrown to the lions.

Daniel’s courage was remarkable. Although he knew that his beliefs made him a target for those who hated him, he was not willing to compromise. He stayed true to his beliefs. There’s an old song which runs: “Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone, Dare to have a purpose firm, Dare to make it known.” Like Daniel, we live in a society where serving God is out of step with the majority of people. Like Daniel, we need to find the courage to stand alone. We need to dare to be a Daniel.

In what situation might you need to stand alone as a Christian?

Loving God, thank you that you will give me your strength as I live for you today. Amen