They all went to the king and said:
“Your Majesty, we hope you live forever! All of your officials, leaders, advisors, and governors agree that you should make a law forbidding anyone to pray to any god or human except you for the next 30 days. Everyone who disobeys this law must be thrown into a pit of lions. Order this to be written and then sign it, so it cannot be changed, just as no written law of the Medes and Persians can be changed.”
So King Darius made the law and had it written down.
Daniel heard about the law, but when he returned home, he went upstairs and prayed in front of the window that faced Jerusalem. In the same way that he had always done, he knelt down in prayer three times a day, giving thanks to God.
The men who had spoken to the king watched Daniel and saw him praying to his God for help. They went back to the king and said, “Didn't you make a law that forbids anyone to pray to any god or human except you for the next 30 days? And doesn't the law say that everyone who disobeys it will be thrown into a pit of lions?”
“Yes, that's the law I made,” the king agreed. “And just like all written laws of the Medes and Persians, it cannot be changed.”
Daniel 6:6-12
Daniel was thrown into a pit of lions because he refused to obey a law that prohibited prayer for thirty days. Today in the United States we are faced with what might be called a "Daniel Dilemma." For many years now we have been told that praying in public is "unconstitutional!" We are especially intimidated when we even think about praying at a school function, or governmental meeting.
What we have is the perfect opportunity to let God show His power. When I refuse to stop calling on the Name of the Lord no matter who may try to stop me, then I step into the tradition of Daniel. When I do that am I guaranteed that God will shut the mouths of the Lions that are sent to devour me? No I am not, but there is still very good news.
When I run to the arms of Jesus and cling to Him, the "lions" have no power to hurt me. The worst thing the "lions" can do is to send me on to Heaven where I will rest in the sweet arms of Jesus forever!
The story of Daniel teaches us clearly that there is never a time when we should hide our faith in and relationship with Jesus from the world around us. And God wants us to disobey any and every law that would try to interfere with calling on Him!
"Lord Jesus, I call on You, the God of Daniel to rescue me from those who try to stand between us and keep me from praying! Give me the courage to always call on Your Name no matter what the law says or the world around me threatens. And may Your Name be praised around the world today and forever. Amen."
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