When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. 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?” Daniel 6:20
The king that placed Daniel in the lion’s den screamed to Daniel, “has God delivered you from the lions?” What an unexpected question coming from King Darius! This mighty king who felt determined to place Daniel in the den knew that Daniel served the living God. It is almost as if King Darius was either hoping or believing that Daniel’s faith would bring him through his ordeal.
The same goes for us as we walk out our own dealings with the lion’s den. We are not immune to the “lion’s den” of life, but we have our faith in God to bring us out of those den’s alive and well with a powerful testimony! The very “lion’s den” that you are enduring was not designed to destroy you but rather to witness to the world that no matter what comes our way, we can make it through with God’s help. God will close the lion’s mouth with His own hands to save you. Notice that God did not remove the lions but instead He closed their mouths. We can equate that to our own experiences in life. God doesn’t always remove the difficult challenges we face but He does remove the power of those challenges to destroy us. He does not allow the roaring lions to take us out! He will use situations to strengthen our faith and bring us closer to Him and those very situations will demonstrate to the world the wonder working power of Jesus!
It may feel as though we are being killed during our time of testing but God will sustain us. Job 13:15 shows us how Job felt during his trial but he said,”Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” This is one of the most difficult things to do in life. To trust when everything seems opposite of what was promised us. Our trust in God will determine how we finish our race. Trusting Him no matter what, is a sign that we have diminished and He has increased. Trusting Him no matter what is the goal in this life. Press towards that goal daily. Lean on God’s word in Psalm 46 that says He is a very present help in trouble. That means He is with us always. He is not in a hard to reach place, He is closer than can be imagined!
Pastor Michael Cannatello
lazarusministry.com
