I am Daniel, a servant of the living God, and I have known both the courts of kings and the den of lions. Let me tell you how faithfulness led me to both.
I was taken from Jerusalem as a youth when Babylon conquered my homeland. For decades, I served under various rulers - Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and now Darius the Mede. Through every change of power, I remained faithful to the one true God, and He blessed me with wisdom and favor.
King Darius appointed one hundred and twenty satraps to govern his kingdom, with three administrators over them. I was one of those three. Because an excellent spirit was in me, the king planned to set me over the entire realm. This stirred jealousy among the other officials.
They searched for grounds to accuse me in my conduct of government affairs, but they could find nothing - no corruption, no negligence. Finally they said, 'We will never find any basis for charges against Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.'
So they devised a scheme. They approached Darius with flattery, proposing that he issue a decree: for thirty days, anyone who prayed to any god or human except the king would be thrown into the lions' den. The proud king signed it into law - a law of the Medes and Persians that could not be revoked.
When I heard about the decree, I went home to my upper room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day, just as I had always done, I got down on my knees and prayed, giving thanks to my God. I knew the decree. I knew the consequences. But I also knew that my God was greater than any earthly king.
My enemies watched and waited. They found me praying and rushed to tell Darius. The king was deeply distressed when he realized their trap. He spent the whole day trying to find a way to save me, but his own law bound his hands.
That evening, they brought me before the king. Darius spoke to me with anguish in his voice: 'May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!' I was thrown into the den of lions. A stone was placed over the opening and sealed with the king's signet ring.
The king spent a sleepless night, fasting, refusing entertainment. At the first light of dawn, he hurried to the den and called out in an anguished voice: 'Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able to rescue you from the lions?'
I answered from the darkness: 'O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.'
The king was overjoyed. He ordered me lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on me, because I had trusted in my God. Those who had accused me were thrown into the same den, and the lions overpowered them immediately.
Darius issued a new decree: 'In every part of my kingdom, people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.'
Whether you face lions of persecution, temptation, or fear, remember this: the God who shuts the mouths of lions still rescues those who trust in Him.