A new king is in town—but for God’s people it’s the same old story, of staying faithful to Him under pressure.
An exceptional man
Read Daniel 6:1
• What is so impressive about Daniel?
Daniel is both reliable and able in his work, and so there’s a promotion being planned. His colleagues try to dig up some dirt on him, but there’s none to be found. The writer emphasises that he is “trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent” (v 4).
A devious plan
Read Daniel 6:6
• How do the other officials plan to get at Daniel?
• What is untrue in what they say in verse 7?
• Why will their suggestion to the king pose a problem for Daniel?
Of course, they don’t present it to Darius as a trap for Daniel; and in fact they lie in saying that “all” the land’s officials have agreed to this (Daniel wasn’t consulted!).
A steadfast man
Read Daniel 6:10
• What are the key words in this verse?
There’s a lot in this verse:
• Daniel prayed towards Jerusalem because that was where God had reigned as King.
• He prayed three times a day because that was his custom.
• He prayed on his knees because it showed his humility before God.
• He prayed with thanks because he knew God was good.
But the key phrase is that Daniel prayed “just as he had before”. Hearing that this decree had been published made no difference to his prayer life whatsoever.
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APPLY
• In what ways would you have been tempted to change how you prayed in this situation?
• What justifications would you have used?
• In what ways do you, or are you tempted to, compromise on living for God because of those around you?
What a challenge Daniel is to us! But he's also an encouragement: if he can do it, so can we! How? By reminding ourselves of what Daniel must have remembered from Nebuchadnezzar's time: that the true God is a revealing, saving, sovereign God, and so it's always worth staying faithful to Him.
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This devotional is taken from Explore—a daily Bible-reading devotional from the good book company which enables you to engage with Scripture and which will encourage, equip and inspire you to live for Christ. Explore features contributions from pastors such as Dr Timothy Keller, Mike McKinley and Tim Chester.
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