Three times a day [Daniel] got down on his knees and prayed. (Daniel 6:10)
The confidence you have in your Triune God—that is, your belief that He is ready, willing, and able to make good on all of His promises—will determine, to an altogether unsuspecting extent, your moment-by-moment communion with Him. Let’s look at the confidence Daniel had and let it both encourage and empower you to stay in continual communion with your God.
It is recorded in sacred Scripture that Daniel—who was taken captive as a youth, exiled in Babylon, and then elevated into a position of great responsibility as one of King Nebuchadnezzar’s advisers—prayed three times every day. As God continued to bless Daniel, bitter opposition mounted against him. Some of the other administrators and princes of the king convinced Nebuchadnezzar to issue a decree that anyone who prayed to anyone other than the king would be thrown into the lion’s den.
When Daniel learned that this law had been signed, he went home and did what he always did: he prayed, giving thanks to his God. His confidence determined his communion. Nothing would come between Daniel and his communion with God.
The officials sprung their trap; they went to Daniel’s house, found him praying, and reported it to the king. When Nebuchadnezzar learned it was Daniel who had been arrested, he regretted ever signing the law, but had no choice other than to watch as Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den. But the king shouted to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
The next morning, greatly distressed, Nebuchadnezzar hurried to the lions’ den and called out to Daniel, “Was your God, whom you worship continually, able to rescue you from the lions?” Notice that even this pagan king knew the confession of Daniel’s life to be one of continual communion with God! And was there a response from Daniel, who had spent an entire night surrounded by wild lions (who feed at night)? “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight” (Daniel 6:20-21).
Daniel knew all about the decree that outlawed prayer to anyone or anything other than the king, but he prayed anyway—not in secret, but before his window for all the world to see. Why? Because his confidence determined his communion. And that is true for you and me. I am sure none of us will ever face the penalty of a lions’ den, but think about it this way: The more confident you are in God the more you will be in communion with God. It’s just that simple.
So . . . how confident are you in God? Does the confession of your current communion with God testify to your unwavering faith in Him?
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 