“Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.” Daniel 6:11
Daniel 6:11 gives us great insight into a man who lived his whole life being faithful to God. It is easy to read the stories of the great men of scripture and think that they are in a different class than we are. God gave them some significant gift that we mere mortals do not get. They face the trials of life without fear in total faith in God. Circumstances do not scare them. The lions’ den or the burning fiery furnace do not deter them – no doubt trips them up. They just keep their eyes on God and move forward into every terror Satan throws at them. Those
thoughts are not true. Scripture tells us that these men are “of like passion” as we are. We even read of the Lord that in the hours before the cross “took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.’ ” So if Daniel was attacked by apprehension what can we learn from this passage about how Daniel stayed faithful to the Lord?
Then these men went as a group A mob of men (120 Satraps and 2 Administrators) move stealthily through the streets to catch Daniel in the act of praying. Why the mob? There had to be witnesses. This conviction could not be based on hearsay. It could not be lost on a technicality. There had to be eyewitnesses that were beyond reproach to prove that this esteemed servant of Darius was guilty of violating the very law the King had just signed and which carried the death penalty.
Found Daniel praying To no one’s surprise, Daniel prays. The mob knew the only way they could find fault with him was his faith in God. They were able to change the kingdom’s laws to be in direct opposition with the laws of God. Daniel, the man who purposed in his heart at an early age that he would not defile himself by disobeying God now faces a dilemma at 80 years of age. He must choose to obey God or the king. Like the Apostle Peter said hundreds of years later, “We must obey God rather than men.” So Daniel elects to obey God – he kneels, he prays – openly in violation of the king’s decree. Once again he trusts God by obeying Him.
Asking God for help Asking is the word supplication. It is going to God with a request – a serious request. Daniel has a problem and as he has done throughout his life, he asks God for help! Understand the dilemma Daniel is in. This is a “no way out” problem. The king has
signed a decree prohibiting prayer, something Daniel cannot comply with. The king cannot change the law. There is no Supreme
Court to appeal to to see if the law is just. (When I was pastoring a very well know bible teacher was at the church. He asked me to pray for him. He said he was facing a “no way out” dilemma. He too saw no path to resolution.) So Daniel prays and asks God for “favor”, for mercy”. When we are confronted with this issue, remember Daniel’s example.
What can we learn? The ability to live faithfully for God is not a special gift, it is a willingness to obey each moment we live. Daniel, like Christ, finds himself in a “no way out” situation. He cannot disobey God’s word so his way forward is clear. He must go through. What is not clear are the consequences. The Lord and Daniel show us the exact same response – they pray and take their broken and troubled hearts to God and seek His help. In both cases God answers but His will is through, not out of, the trial.