Your Daily Devotional for June 28, 2006

 

June 28, 2006

 

A Godly and Courageous Man

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

“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

 

Few men in all of Bible history have the testimony of Daniel. Daniel was a man who refused to let anything deter him from his desire to live for the Lord. His surroundings could not change him, peer pressure could not change him, and even the conspiracies of his enemies could not change him.

 

Even though Daniel was captured from his home at a young age and forced to be a slave in enemy land, he remained faithful to God. Because he remained faithful, God set him in a place of leadership in the kingdom; he became the Prime Minister. When the king signed the decree into law making it illegal to pray to anyone but him, Daniel was faced with a choice. Would he continue in his daily prayer time with God or would he cower in the face of this present threat?

 

Daniel knew the penalty of disobeying this law, yet he deliberately obeyed God. This was the obedience of a courageous man. Nehemiah 6:11 says, “And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.” Daniel didn’t flee in the face of adversity. He stood for what was right and continued to pray.

 

I read a prayer one time that said, "Lord, I am willing to receive what you give; to lack what you withhold; to relinquish what you take; to suffer what you inflict; to be what you require. And, Lord, if others are to be your messengers to me, I am willing to hear and heed what they have to say. Amen."

 

When the king found out about this and threw Daniel in the lion’s den, the king could say with the prophet Isaiah, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

 

A man took his small son with him to town one day to run some errands. When lunchtime arrived, the two of them went to a familiar diner for a sandwich. The father sat down on one of the stools at the counter and lifted the boy up to the seat beside him. They ordered lunch, and when the waiter brought the food, the father said, “Son, we’ll just have a silent prayer.” Dad got through praying first and waited for the boy to finish his prayer, but he just sat with his head bowed for an unusually long time. When he finally looked up, his father asked him, “What in the world were you praying about all that time?” With the innocence and honesty of a child, he replied, “How do I know? It was a silent prayer.”

 

Friend, how are you doing in your Christian life? Are you cowering because someone is mocking you? Do you wait and pray at home when no one is looking for fear of being pointed out? Do you pray a quick and muttered prayer when out to eat so no one will notice? Daniel prayed even when his life was threatened! Even Jesus as He was about to die, took time to pray in public! Never be afraid to pray and commune with God. Take time right now to talk to Him!

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