Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house: and his windows 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 (Daniel 6:10, King James Version).

 Have you ever openly defied someone because you knew what you were doing was correct in the sight of God? Would you do something like that when you knew you could be killed for doing so? Daniel had such a great respect for God that he fearlessly did the things he felt God wanted him to do.

The Babylonians brought Daniel to their country as a teenager. He was taken captive from Israel when Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon. When he conquered Judah, the king instructed his men to bring some young Jews back to Babylon. He requested that they be of royal lineage, “in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skilful in all wisdom and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace” (1:4).

The king wanted men he could train to work in the palace. He got more than he could have imagined when Daniel was brought in as a captive.

Although many Jews were allowed to return home after several years in captivity, Daniel stayed in Babylon for the rest of his life, a witness for God for more than 70 years.

Daniel stood his ground as he witnessed for God. Several young Jewish boys were in training to serve the king and Nebuchadnezzar ordered that they be fed well from his provisions of meat and wine. Daniel chose not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.

The chief official feared for his own life, as he had the responsibility to nurture these young men so they could serve the king well. Daniel’s proposal was for a 10-day trial where he and his friends would eat only vegetables and drink only water, then the official could judge if they had suffered compared to others in the group.

Daniel trusted in God to honor his adherence to the Mosaic law. At the end of the 10 days he and his friends had a better appearance than those who ate the rich food.

When the king had a dream that none of his magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers could interpret, he commanded that all of these men, along with the young Jews in training to serve him, be killed. Once again Daniel’s faithfulness to God gave him the assurance that God would be there for him, and he volunteered to interpret the king’s visions. God helped Daniel not only to interpret the dream, he enabled Daniel to tell the king the content of his dream.

Daniel set such a good example his friends refused to salve the king’s ego when he built a gold statue of himself and ordered everyone to bow down to it. God rewarded their faith more magnificently than they could have dreamed when he protected them in the fiery furnace. Daniel’s faith not only inspired them, it eventually inspired King Nebuchadnezzar himself and he became a believer in God. One man’s faithfulness reached all the way to the leadership of the country.

Some time after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, his son Belshazzar held a feast and mysterious handwriting appeared on the wall. Belshazzar had used golden goblets at this feast his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem.

When Belshazzaar became frantic over the strange handwriting, his mother suggested he consult Daniel who had interpreted his father’s dreams. Daniel was called in to interpret the writing on the wall. He prophesied that because of his utter disregard for God, Belshazzar’s days were numbered and Babylon would be conquered by the Medes and Persians.

After the fall of Babylon to the Medes, King Darius took over. He appointed governors in Babylon, of which Daniel was one. The other governors became jealous of Daniel and his successes and they persuaded Darius to sign a decree stating that Darius was the only god the people were to worship.

Upon hearing the edict, Daniel went to his room, opened the windows facing Jerusalem, knelt down, and prayed to God as he had done through the years. He didn’t try to hide what he was doing. He didn’t slip into a corner and unobtrusively pray while no one was watching. Neither did he make a public display of his loyalty to God by standing on the street corner and beating on his chest as he prayed. He simply knelt as he had always done to pray unashamedly to his God.

His jealous rivals seemed to know what to expect from previous experiences with Daniel. As soon as they were sure he was engaged in his usual time of prayer, they rushed to the king, who reluctantly had Daniel thrown into the lions’ den.

Daniel made a strong impression on those who knew him. Darius told him after he had condemned him to the lions’ den, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” (6:16b New International Testaemt).

Can you imagine what a different country this would be, what a different world we would live in if there were more people with the faithfulness of Daniel?

We need more men and women with a faith like Daniel’s who do not fear the repercussions from doing God’s will, but boldly and courageously follow God in all they do. That’s the kind of faith that will change this world. That is also the kind of faith that will set an example for our children, our neighbors, and our co-workers.

Daniel never took the credit. He never patted himself on the back. His confidence was in God. He told the king, “God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure” (Daniel 2:45b, NJV). |L