Day 27 - Daniel

People.  Aren't they the problem.  Without people there'd be no drama, no deceit, no betrayal.  Of course, there would also be no love, hope and acceptance.  Still people cause problems.  And we're people, too, which causes a whole other set of problems because many of the messes we get into are the fault of our own.  If it's any consolation, people have been causing problems, and God has been working in the midst of them since the days of Daniel:

3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”



6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.

10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

So, get used to it.  There will come times when people will try to find out a way to get you.  People will push your faith to the limit.  People look for ways to turn on you and turn you in.  People will scheme against you.  People will force you to come to a crossroad in your faith.  This should come as no surprise.  What IS the surprise is Daniel's response.  He didn't run in fear.  He didn't get angry.  He didn't even plead his case in righteous indignation.  He did what he always did -- he prayed.  Daniel's faith was such an organic part of his life that it made perfect sense to him to continue worshiping and praying.

The struggle, I think, is that our decision to follow God isn't always as cut and dry as Daniel's.  Often, we'll have to deal with the little inconveniences that people throw our way.  I mean, we'll be able to count on one hand the times in our lives that we're betrayed in a major way like Daniel has been in this passage.  However, people will throw small barbs our way every day.  People make mistakes.  Sometimes it's malicious, sometimes people do so inadverdently.  How will we respond?  It's not just about choosing God's way in the big 'when the chips are down' events, it's about choosing God's path in the everyday opportunities with others 'inconvenience' us.  That will be easier if we can be like Daniel.  Did you notice that prayer and worship were 'just as he'd done before'?  That's the secret.  When we make prayer, worship and faithfulness such a normal part of our lives, when the chips are down or when we come across a typical annoyance on a Tuesday, we'll respond in a way that honors God.  And that'll turn out to be the best decision we could ever make.