Daniel found himself thrown into the pit with the lions because he was praying for the people who put him in there. Talk about irony! Instead of praising God for His many blessings, the mouths of his accusers set him up to get him out of their way. Inadvertently, Daniel's faith got him in big trouble with the law of the land. Because he obeyed the voice of God, he wound up in a cave, sealed by a stone, and surrounded by hungry lions waiting to devour him. It seemed like there was no way out.
The pits are hell, ever been there? It's dark. It's cold. It's lonely.
Can you imagine what was going through his mind? Did he mentally wrestle with the critical messages of his accusers? Was he tempted to give up? Did he feel forsaken by God? Daniel was a guy just like you and me. He had bad days, struggles, doubts and fears. Sitting there in the dark, Daniel had absolutely no clue what was going to happen next, but he wasn't focused on the results.
He was focused on the Presence of God in the pit, and faith transformed fear into anticipation. Daniel had hope.
Daniel's Divine rescue unfolds, and we see King Darius running toward the lion's den after a sleepless night. "And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, 'Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?' "
Then Daniel said to the king, 'O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.' "
"So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God."
What a surprise! Darius had tried to save Daniel from his fate and failed. "Lamenting" he was expecting to find a group of burping lions. Instead, he hears God's verdict, and sees God's power and personal protection of Daniel. He was preserved in the pit by the King of kings. What an amazing discovery! What incredible joy he must of have experienced in that moment seeing what God did!
What
an
exciting
story.
Often, the very things we dread the most, turn out to be the very things that God uses to bless us and bring Himself praise. Courage is the confidence that what I have to say, or do, is true and right and just in the sight of God. It's in the dark pits that we discover the light of His Presence, and gain His strength. From faith to faith we get one blessing after another. That's good stuff!
What is your story? How can the "dark pits" of your life inspire others to hope in God?
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