By: Amanda Baker
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his window being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
I love the book of Daniel. Daniel is one of those Bible characters that I look forward to meeting one day in heaven. From the first time we are introduced to Daniel, he is portrayed in his faithfulness regardless of his circumstances. He had influence on his friends who, in turn, stood for right as young people. There are many years of Daniel’s life that are not recounted for us in Scripture. But I believe that we can conclude that he remained faithful in those silent years.
When Daniel is in his nineties, the other rulers in the kingdom became jealous of Daniel and his excellence and sought to find fault in him. Daniel’s clear testimony was evident in the way the wicked rulers sought to create an issue between Daniel’s God and the king’s decree. The story is a familiar one, but let me point out again a testimony of Daniel’s faithfulness in his first reaction to this problem – “he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before His God, as he did aforetime.” This difficult circumstance did not shake the foundation of this faithful believer. He had “purposed in his heart” as a teenager to follow the Lord even in a pagan land. And now as an old man, he knew that God would care for him because of his faithfulness.
Do you and I react to circumstances that cross our paths like Daniel? Is our first reaction to “take it to the Lord in prayer”? I have to admit that often I try to find the solution on my own. Many times I find myself in a bigger mess than I started with because of my lack of faith in God. If Daniel’s God was powerful enough to protect his friends in the fire and shut the mouths of the lions, is He not worthy of my faith and trust in the little bumps in my road? Don’t forget that we serve the same God that Daniel did! May we trust Him and be faithful in every aspect of our lives today.