Daniel and Faith

i had to write a paper today for one of my classes, on a part of scripture from a section of the Old Testament that we are covering now. because of my interest and current study of, i picked a passage out of the book of Daniel.

the story of Daniel in the lion's den begins in chapter 6, and has been one that has always fascinated me since i can remember. i have been drawn to this book, to this man because i see something in him i desire; many things to be honest. i find it humorous what brought me to the decision to study it to, a simple song by FFH that sparked my heart.

but in this part of Daniel's story i see something very clear. i see a faith so strong, nothing can knock it down. pull it out and read.

we first get a glimpse of Daniel's character, and how distinguished it was. i mean check it out, when those administrators tried to find a fault in him, they got nothing! this guy was solid as a rock, "...trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent." because of this, these administrators and satraps who were out to get Daniel, had to target what he was good at. they had to target at something he was reliable for and consistent in. they had to target his faith.


now notice what they do. they go to the king as a group, but without Daniel. Daniel is not aware of their actions or their plans. they convince the king to sign into law a decree that can not be overturned, declaring death by the lions den for anyone who prays to any other god besides the king for the next 30 days. yet they tell the king they all have agreed upon this. i think this lie of theirs (because Daniel did not know, not all had agreed) says something more about Daniel's character. they had to go to the point of lying to catch Daniel.

when Daniel hears of this news, he continues to stay faithful and pray upon his roof facing Jerusalem. i stop at this point in the story for now. cause this is where his faith becomes so evident. see, Daniel was so strong in his convictions, beliefs and faith, that not even the threat of death shook him. he knew the consequences of his actions, no doubt. but he knew in his heart what he should do.

i wonder how often we get intimidated by danger, consequences and such. how often do we allow fear to creep in and shut us down. how often do we allow our faith to hide because we don't want to be made fun of at school or work. compare these situations to that of Daniel's . they don't compare, not even close. Daniel was thrown into a den of lions for holding to his faith. and thee were not nice lions, they had been starved for days before seeing Daniel. he knew that, yet he remained faithful, and he fleshed it out.

see, it is easy to say we are faithful, like many things. but do we flesh it out as we see Daniel did? i desire a faith that stands the test, that looks death in the face and screams, you will not shake me. i want a faith so strong that nothing in heaven or hell, no power can shake it but God himself. this is what i see in Daniel.

this is what i want, rock solid, unshakable faith. i want to be like Daniel.