Magic Wands Not Included

The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

So Daniel was taken up out of the (lion’s) den, and no injury whatsoever was found on him because he had trusted in his God.

For He is the living God and He has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

Daniel 6:20b Daniel 6:23b Daniel 6:26, 27b NASB

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Did you notice something uncomfortable in these verses? Daniel served God. Trusted God. Prayed as usual when most of us would have settled for a safer, private, whispered prayer. He even had a reputation for doing his God-honoring lifestyle.

Yet we read that he’s taken up out of the lion’s den after a night rooming with the felines. Don’t we expect to read that Daniel was kept from the lion’s den? Many of us know the “Sunday school” version of this account so well that we don’t allow it to penetrate our heart or question the situation with any depth. Daniel obediently trusted, and yet was thrown into the den of hungry lions.

I see in my own heart the silent assumption of God’s magic formula for handling all trials of life.

I pray.

I trust.

I obey.

And voila’ – God makes all my paths smooth.   Surely, He will keep me from entering “lion’s den” situations.  I can almost hear the buzzer … eeeehhhh wrong answer.

The reality is, the Word of God, and our experiences, are filled with lion’s den scenarios. Trials that may not include 400 lb felines but instead contain heartaches or despair, financial reversal or the death of a loved-one. The unrelenting sting of regret, betrayal or a sense of meaninglessness. Thrown in. Head first. No magic wands to wave away the raw realties of life.

Sometimes we must simply take God’s hand and walk through things. Not around or over – but through.   – Becky White

Daniel opened his eyes in the light of the new day with a renewed trust in his God. Not a trust that hinged on never seeing another lion’s den but on a knowing that the living God has the power to sustain him even if…

Though we would much prefer He keep us from the den, what an amazing testimony He grants us – to see first-hand His power to sustain in the midst of impossibilities. Taking us by the hand as He lifts us out of our den situations.  Bursting with our own renewed awe at this face-to-the-floor Amazing God we serve.

O Father, help me to trust You, even when I find myself, surrounded by the lions of life. Teach me a depth of trust that isn’t dependent on comfortable circumstances or desired outcomes.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus