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

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

He said to me, ‘Sufficient for thee is My grace, for My power in infirmity is perfected;’ most gladly, therefore, will I rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of the Christ may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 YLT

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12 BSB

Betsie ten Boom, spoke the following words to her sister Corrie, not knowing that the next day would be her last day on earth: “Corrie, when we get out of here, we must tell people that there is no pit so deep that He’s not deeper still. And they will listen to us because we have been here.” (For those who don’t know, the “Here” she spoke of, was Ravensbrück Nazi concentration camp).

“Corrie, they will listen to us because we’ve been here.”

Though most of us have never experienced the horror of a concentration camp, we have our own version of Because we’ve been “here…”

In my own case; childhood trauma, the gut-punch pain of burying two precious little ones, relational betrayal, the paralyzing fear of domestic violence, financial reversal, the searing pain of prodigals and a few others too personal to speak of. Yet, as with Corrie, such pain has provided a platform. A platform to tell (Shout, scream and sometimes whisper through tears) of the sufficiency of Christ. My life and all I walked through; indeed, all my writing is simply an attempt to find ways to share that truth. Not that He has, or will, lift His divine hand and wave away my troubles, but that I have found His grace, faithfulness and presence sufficient. And to encourage others that He will do the same for them.

I have an aversion to the type of “Christianity” that speaks of suffering as if it were an anomaly. As if we’ve been given a free-pass card on the trials of life because of our relationship with Jesus Christ (see 1 Peter 4:12).  The truth is, we could begin in Genesis and go all through God’s Word, until we reach Revelation and see how God’s people have suffered. Greatly. Sometimes because of their own bad choices and sometimes because of the raw reality of real life. But always within His sovereign control. And as Believers, with the embedded promise that He will bring good from all we face.

Often, part of that good is the opportunity He grants us to share how He walked us through a trial rather than removing us from it. Even coming out the other side without bitterness or resentment, and with a determination to allow Him to leverage our pain for His purposes and encourage those around us that His grace is sufficient, with a, “here I am as living proof” testimony.

Read again, Betsie’s last words, “They will listen to us because we’ve been here.” What is your “Here?”

Whether a literal prison cell, a gut-punch tragedy, or a low-grade but all-encompassing disappointment, will you use your story for His glory? They will listen to you because of where you’ve been.

“If you’ll quit moaning and crying, I’ll use the things (trials) to make you into someone I can use in the lives of others to show them that no matter where they’ve been, no matter how deep the hole, no matter how painful the trial, there’s hope.” – Kay Arthur

Oh, My Father, I would never have volunteered for these painful trials, and yet I can so clearly see Your divine hand bringing good from them.  I am so thankful for the platform the pain has provided. All for Your glory. In Jesus, name, Amen.

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:36 NLT

It’s only the Truth you know, that sets you free. – Steve Campbell

I have a business card, though it’s probably unlike most you’ve come across. It doesn’t list my professional position or a bite-size version of my accomplishments, instead it reads, “He has taken my mess and turned it into ministry.” That pretty much sums up my life! The backside contains the Scripture: “Encourage the exhausted, strengthen the feeble, say to those with an anxious heart, take courage, fear not.” My business card authentically reflects what I intend to do in every circumstance I find myself, it also clarifies who I am. A servant of God, redeemed by His grace, and one who longs to honor Him.

I also have other “business cards” that attempt to define me. These don’t come from the printer, they come from our adversary, the devil, who prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Devour with his well-timed lies and masterful deception. Maybe you have some too?

Victim. Ugly. Stupid. Hot mess. Unloved. Rejected. Loser. Unwanted. Mistake. Never good enough. Failure. Too far gone. Shall I keep going? I have to actively resist the tug to carry those cards around with me, pulling them out of my pocket as needed. Reading and rereading the lies or telling the lies to others, as I offer them my “card.”

What/Who defines you? Ponder it deeply for a moment, don’t rush this part. Have you allowed an outward physical trait or an inward sin or a temptation struggle to define you? Has past pain or trauma had the final say in who you are? Has the “success” or “failure” of your children, career, marriage, ministry or bank account been allowed to define you? For good or for bad, we can accidently allow something other than the Truth found in God’s Word (the Bible) to define us.

C.S. Lewis famously said that the most important question we can ask ourselves is, “Who am I?” to which he responded, “A servant of God.” At base, I am a servant of God. And if you’ve surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, that’s who you are as well. We may be other things in addition, but that is the defining factor of who we are. Let’s pull that card out. In all we allow our mind to dwell, in all we step out to do – we are servants of God and He alone defines us.

Father God, please help us walk in the Truth of who we are according to Your Word, as we actively resist the lies of the enemy that attempt to shape our identity. I am who You say I am. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus

For info on a FREE pdf of Stony Paths devotional, click here

Try inserting your name as you speak this scripture out loud:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed (name) in Christ with every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, even as He chose (name) in Him before the foundation of the world, that (name) should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined (name) for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed (name) in the Beloved. In Him (name) has redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon (name) . . . In Him (name) has obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will . . . In Him (name) also, when (name) heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of (name) inheritance until (name) acquires possession of it (Eph. 1:3-14).

An audio only, short montage of thoughts on Psalm 56:9

Though it’s totally unscripted and not at all polished, I pray you hear real life thoughts on God’s Word and how to authentically apply it to our lives.

In His service, Becky White

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