Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

February 27
Friday


A CONSISTENT
LIFE

READ:
Daniel 6:1-10
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He knelt down on his
knees...and prayed
and gave thanks before
his God, as was his
custom since early
days. __Daniel 6:10
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While studying the book of Daniel, I was struck by how easily he could have avoided being thrown into the den of lions. Daniel's jealous rivals in the government of Babylon laid a trap based on his consistent practice of daily prayer to God (Dan. 6:1-9). Daniel was fully aware of their plot and could have decided to pray privately for a month until things settled down. But that was not the kind of person he was.

"When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days" (v.10). Daniel did not panic, nor bargain with God. Instead, he continued "just as he had done (v.10 NIV). He was not intimidated by the pressure of persecution.

The lesson for me was the power of Daniel's life of consistent devotion to the Lord. His strength came from God, whom Daniel wanted to please every day. When a crisis came, Daniel didn't need to change his daily practice to meet it. He simply stayed committed to his God. __David McCasland

`````````````````````Father, I want to stand for You when persecution`````````````````````````
``````````````````````comes as Daniel did. Give me that same bold```````````````````````````
`````````````````````commitment to pray and not to be ashamed of```````````````````````````
````````````````````knowing You. Help me to live my faith publicly.````````````````````````````
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God empowers us to stand for Him
as we bow to pray.

*******************************Today's Bible Reading __ Daniel 6:1-10*****************************
1 It pleased Darius to set
over the kingdom one
hundred and twenty satraps,
...2 and over these, three
governors, of whom Daniel
was one.... 3 Then this
Daniel distinguished
himself above the governors
and satraps, because an
excellent spirit was in him;
and the king gave thought
to setting him over the
whole realm. 4 So the
governors and satraps
sought to find some charge
against Daniel...but they
could find no charge or
fault.... 5 Then these men
said, "We shall not find any
charge against this Daniel
unless we find it against
him concerning the law of
his God."

6 So these governors and
satraps thronged before the
king, and said thus to him:
"King Darius, live forever!

7 All the governors of the
kingdom...consulted
together to establish a royal
statute and to make a firm
decree, that whoever
petitions any god or man
for thirty days, except you,
O king, shall be cast into
the den of lions. 8 Now, O
king, establish the decree
and sign the writing, so that
it cannot be changed...."

9 Therefore King Darius
signed the written decree.

10 Now when Daniel knew
that the writing was signed,
he went home. And in his
upper room, with his
windows open toward
Jerusalem, he knelt down
on his knees three times
that day, and prayed and
gave thanks before his God,
as was his custom since
early days.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Daniel and his three friends were thrown into the fiery furnace
(Dan. 3), and Daniel was thrown into the lions' den (ch.6). These
stories teach us that God is in control, even when it doesn't look like
it, and we can trust Him.