🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ How to Sleep With Lions — Pt. 3 “A Stage for God’s Glory”
Scripture: Daniel 6:19–22, 26 (NIV)
Daniel 6:19–22: At dawn, King Darius hurried to the lions’ den and called out anxiously to Daniel, asking whether the God he served continually had been able to rescue him. Daniel respectfully greeted the king and explained that God had sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions. He had not been harmed because he was found innocent before God, and he had done no wrong against the king.
Daniel 6:26: King Darius issued a decree throughout his kingdom that people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel, acknowledging Him as the living God whose kingdom will never be destroyed.
(Scriptures paraphrased from the NIV. )
Devotion
Have you ever gone through something so unfair that you wanted to lose your mind?!
I mean, somebody lied on you!
Somebody mistreated you!
Somebody deliberately tried to cause you harm!
And you knew you hadn’t done anything to deserve what was happening!
WHEWWWWW! 😮💨
Now, let me ask you something.
HOW DID YOU RESPOND?
Did you get angry?
Did you start telling everybody off?
Did you start planning how you were going to get even?
Or did you completely lose it?!
Because these days, there’s a popular term for somebody who loses control and starts acting out.
THEY CALL IT “CRASHING OUT!” 😂
And let me tell you something!
There are some situations that will make you WANT to crash out!
BUT YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE YOUR CHARACTER EVERY TIME SOMEBODY TESTS IT!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
Today, we’re continuing our PRAY HERE devotion series, “HOW TO SLEEP WITH LIONS!” 🦁
And we’re going to talk about something POWERFUL!
HOW GOD CAN USE YOUR WORST SITUATION AS A STAGE FOR HIS GLORY!
My, my, my!
In Part 1, we learned that Daniel was a man of exceptional character and integrity.
He was trustworthy, faithful, and excellent in his work.
But because the king planned to promote him, the other officials became jealous and plotted against him!
In Part 2, we learned that Daniel refused to allow their decree to change his relationship with God.
He continued praying three times a day, just as he had always done!
DANIEL KEPT HIS FAITH!
And now, in Part 3, we’re going to see what happened when Daniel’s faith was put to the ultimate test!
THE LIONS’ DEN! 🦁
Now, let’s remember something.
Daniel didn’t end up in that den because he was a criminal.
He wasn’t dishonest.
He wasn’t corrupt.
He wasn’t hurting anybody!
HE WAS THROWN INTO A DEN OF LIONS FOR REMAINING FAITHFUL TO GOD!
MY, MY, MY!
And King Darius, who had been manipulated into signing the decree, was the very person who had to order Daniel into the den.
Can you imagine?!
The same king who recognized Daniel’s excellence and planned to promote him was now ordering him to be thrown to the lions!
TALK ABOUT AN UNFAIR SITUATION!
Whewwwww! 😮💨
And here’s what I want us to understand.
DANIEL DID NOT CRASH OUT!
He didn’t lose his integrity!
He didn’t abandon his faith!
He didn’t allow the injustice to turn him into somebody he wasn’t!
HE REMAINED FAITHFUL TO GOD UNDER FIRE!
Now, the Bible doesn’t tell us every thought Daniel had while he was inside that den.
But what it does show us is that Daniel continued trusting God, and when he was delivered, he still spoke with respect and integrity.
THAT’S POWERFUL!
Because sometimes the greatest test isn’t just what we’re going through.
IT’S HOW WE BEHAVE WHILE WE’RE GOING THROUGH IT!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
Now, let’s read today’s Scripture together.
In Daniel 6:19, we find King Darius getting up at the first light of dawn and hurrying to the lions’ den!
The king was anxious!
He had spent the night troubled over what had happened to Daniel.
And when he reached the den, he called out to Daniel, asking whether the God he served continually had been able to rescue him from the lions.
NOW WAIT A MINUTE! 👀
The king wanted to know if Daniel’s God had saved him!
And then something AMAZING happened!
DANIEL ANSWERED HIM!
HALLELUJAH!!! 🙌🏽🔥
DANIEL WAS STILL ALIVE!
The lions had not devoured him!
The God Daniel had faithfully served had delivered him!
And do you know what Daniel said when he answered the king?
“May the king live forever!” — Daniel 6:21 (NIV)
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 😮💨🙌🏽
DID YOU HEAR THAT?!
“MAY THE KING LIVE FOREVER!”
Now, I can only imagine what some of OUR responses would have been to that king! 😂
“OH, NOW YOU WANT TO CHECK ON ME?!”
“YOU THE ONE WHO HAD ME THROWN IN HERE!”
“YOU BETTER BE GLAD GOD SAVED ME!”
WHEWWWWW! 😂😩
Some of us would have come out of that lions’ den with a WHOLE LOT to say!
And I’m not talking about a testimony either! 😂
BUT NOT DANIEL!
Daniel spoke to the king with respect!
The very king who had ordered him into that den!
MY, MY, MY!
THAT’S WHAT INTEGRITY LOOKS LIKE UNDER PRESSURE!
He didn’t allow what had happened to him to destroy his character.
He didn’t respond with disrespect.
He didn’t allow bitterness to take over.
DANIEL HAD BEEN IN A DEN FULL OF LIONS, BUT HE DIDN’T COME OUT ACTING LIKE ONE!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
NOW THAT WILL PREACH!
Because how many times have we allowed somebody else’s actions to determine OUR behavior?
Somebody talks crazy to us, so we talk crazy right back!
Somebody lies on us, so we start trying to destroy their reputation!
Somebody does us wrong, so we decide we’re going to make sure they suffer too!
And before we know it, we’ve allowed somebody else’s wickedness to pull us out of character!
BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BECOME WHAT HURT YOU!
You can be mistreated and still have integrity!
You can be falsely accused and still speak with wisdom!
You can be placed in an unfair situation and still trust God!
YOU DON’T HAVE TO CRASH OUT TO PROVE THAT SOMEBODY DID YOU WRONG!
WHEWWWWW! 🙌🏽
And here’s something else.
Daniel didn’t just greet the king respectfully.
He gave God the glory for his deliverance!
In verse 22, Daniel explained that God had sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions!
GOD DID IT!
Daniel didn’t take credit for surviving.
He didn’t act as though he had defeated the lions himself.
HE TOLD THE KING EXACTLY WHO HAD SAVED HIM!
HALLELUJAH! 🙌🏽🔥
And Daniel also made it clear that he had been found innocent before God and had done no wrong against the king.
HE KEPT HIS INTEGRITY AND GOD DELIVERED HIM!
Now, let me bring this home.
Maybe you’ve been falsely accused at work.
Somebody reported something about you that wasn’t true.
And now you’re sitting in a meeting trying to explain yourself to somebody who has already heard everybody else’s side of the story!
WHEWWWWW! 😮💨
You know you’re innocent!
You know you haven’t done anything wrong!
And everything inside of you wants to get angry and start telling people off!
BUT DON’T CRASH OUT!
Tell the truth.
Present the facts.
Protect yourself.
And allow your integrity to speak for you!
Or maybe somebody you trusted betrayed you.
You treated them with kindness.
You supported them.
You prayed for them.
And they turned around and did something that hurt you deeply!
DON’T LET THEIR BETRAYAL TURN YOU INTO A BITTER PERSON!
You can establish boundaries.
You can remove yourself from harmful situations.
You can hold people accountable.
BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO RETALIATE!
Because here’s what I want you to remember.
YOUR RESPONSE TO THE SITUATION IS PART OF YOUR TESTIMONY!
My, my, my!
People are watching how you handle adversity.
They’re watching how you respond when you’re mistreated.
They’re watching whether you continue trusting God when things don’t go your way.
And sometimes the very people who doubted your faith will be the ones who witness God’s power in your life!
YOUR LIONS’ DEN CAN BECOME A STAGE FOR GOD’S GLORY!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
Now, here’s where this story gets EVEN BETTER!
After the king discovered that Daniel was alive, he was overjoyed!
Daniel was brought up out of the den, and the Bible tells us that no wound was found on him because he had trusted in his God!
NO WOUND WAS FOUND ON HIM!
MY, MY, MY! 🙌🏽
And I want you to notice something.
THE SAME KING WHO HAD ORDERED DANIEL INTO THE LIONS’ DEN WAS NOW WITNESSING THE POWER OF DANIEL’S GOD!
Whewwwww!
The king had already known Daniel as a faithful servant.
But now he had witnessed something that went far beyond Daniel’s excellent work and good character!
HE HAD WITNESSED GOD’S DELIVERING POWER!
And what happened next?
In verse 26, King Darius issued a decree throughout his kingdom!
But this time, the decree was not against Daniel’s prayers!
THIS DECREE HONORED DANIEL’S GOD!
HALLELUJAH!!! 🙌🏽🔥
The king commanded that people throughout his kingdom should fear and reverence the God of Daniel!
THE VERY GOD DANIEL REFUSED TO STOP PRAYING TO!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 😮💨🙌🏽🔥
DO YOU SEE WHAT GOD DID?!
The officials tried to use Daniel’s faith to destroy him.
But God used Daniel’s faithfulness and deliverance to make His power known throughout the kingdom!
WHAT THE ENEMY INTENDED TO USE AGAINST DANIEL BECAME AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GOD TO RECEIVE GLORY!
MY, MY, MY!
And that’s why I want to encourage somebody today.
DON’T GIVE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR LIONS’ DEN!
You may be going through something unfair.
You may be facing people who don’t mean you any good.
You may be dealing with circumstances that have left you frightened, exhausted, and wondering how you’re going to make it through.
BUT DO YOU BELIEVE GOD IS ABLE TO DELIVER YOU?
Do you believe He can make a way?
Do you believe He can help you overcome?
Do you believe He can give you peace while you’re surrounded by trouble?
DO YOU TRUST THE GOD YOU’VE BEEN PRAYING TO?
WHEWWWWW! 🙌🏽🔥
Now, I want to be clear about something.
Faith does not mean that every difficult situation will end exactly the way we want it to.
And we should never tell somebody that if they have enough faith, they will never experience harm or loss.
BUT FAITH DOES MEAN WE CAN TRUST GOD EVEN WHEN WE DON’T KNOW HOW THE STORY WILL END!
Daniel trusted God.
And God delivered him in a way that caused an entire kingdom to hear about His power!
THAT’S WHAT MAKES THIS TESTIMONY SO POWERFUL!
And here’s something else.
SOMETIMES YOUR TEST IS BIGGER THAN YOU!
You think you’re just trying to survive what you’re going through.
You think you’re just trying to make it through another day.
You think you’re just praying for God to bring YOU out!
But somebody is watching your faith.
Somebody is watching your integrity.
Somebody is watching how you continue to trust God while everything around you seems to be falling apart.
AND YOUR TESTIMONY MAY BE WHAT HELPS SOMEBODY ELSE BELIEVE IN GOD!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
Look at King Darius!
He went from asking whether Daniel’s God was able to save him to publicly declaring the greatness of Daniel’s God!
Now, the Scripture doesn’t tell us everything about the king’s personal faith afterward, so we won’t add to what the Bible says.
BUT IT DOES TELL US THAT THE KING PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED THE LIVING GOD AND ORDERED HIS KINGDOM TO REVERENCE HIM!
GOD GOT THE GLORY!
HALLELUJAH! 🙌🏽🔥
And isn’t that what we should want?
For people to see God working in our lives!
For our testimonies to encourage somebody else!
For our faith to point people to Jesus Christ!
For our victories to bring glory to God and not ourselves!
BECAUSE IT’S NOT ABOUT US GETTING THE CREDIT!
IT’S ABOUT GOD GETTING THE GLORY!
My, my, my!
So the next time you find yourself in a situation that makes you want to lose your mind…
DON’T CRASH OUT! 😂🙌🏽
Pray!
Stay calm!
Keep your integrity!
Speak with wisdom!
And trust God!
Don’t let anger cause you to say something you’ll regret.
Don’t let fear convince you that God has abandoned you.
And don’t let somebody else’s wrongdoing cause you to compromise your own character!
YOU CAN BE UNDER FIRE AND STILL BE FAITHFUL!
YOU CAN BE SURROUNDED BY LIONS AND STILL TRUST GOD!
YOU CAN BE MISTREATED AND STILL MAINTAIN YOUR INTEGRITY!
WHEWWWWW! 🙌🏽🔥
And when God brings you through, don’t forget to tell somebody what He has done!
Because somebody needs to know that God is still able!
Somebody needs to know that prayer still works!
Somebody needs to know that trusting God is never a waste!
LET YOUR TESTIMONY BECOME A STAGE FOR GOD’S GLORY!
And here’s what I want to leave you with today.
DANIEL WENT INTO THE LIONS’ DEN AS A MAN OF FAITH, AND HE CAME OUT STILL A MAN OF FAITH!
The situation did not change his character.
The threat did not destroy his trust in God.
And the injustice did not cause him to lose his integrity!
HE DID NOT CRASH OUT!
HE TRUSTED GOD, AND GOD GOT THE GLORY!
HALLELUJAH TO OUR LORD!!! 🙌🏽🔥💙
THAT’S HOW YOU SLEEP WITH LIONS!
✍🏽 Reflect & Respond
Today, I want you to examine how you respond when you’re under pressure, mistreated, or facing an unfair situation.
When somebody does me wrong, do I remain calm and keep my integrity, or do I allow my anger to make me crash out?
Do I truly believe that God is able to deliver me from the difficult situations I’m facing, even when I cannot see how He’s going to do it?
Am I allowing my faith and the way I handle adversity to become a testimony that points others to God?
And here’s the question I really want you to sit with:
IF GOD USED MY CURRENT SITUATION AS A STAGE FOR HIS GLORY, WOULD MY RESPONSE HELP PEOPLE SEE HIM?
Today, think about the situation that’s been testing your patience, your faith, or your character.
Before you react, pray.
Before you retaliate, ask God for wisdom.
Before you allow fear to take over, remind yourself of who God is!
DON’T CRASH OUT!
KEEP YOUR FAITH! KEEP YOUR INTEGRITY! AND LET GOD GET THE GLORY!
🙏🏽 Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for being my protector, my strength, and my deliverer. Lord, please help me not to freak out or crash out when I’m facing difficult and unfair situations. Help me remain calm in my faith and keep my integrity no matter how others treat me. When fear, anger, and frustration try to take over, remind me that You are with me. Give me wisdom to respond the right way and faith to trust You even when I cannot see how things will work out. Lord, I believe that You are able to bring me out! Help me remain faithful while I’m going through, and when You bring me through, let my testimony bring glory to Your name. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙
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