1-23-24: God Is Able

Then Daniel said 
to the king, “O king, live 
forever! My God sent His angel and shut the 
lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, 
because I was found innocent before Him; and 
also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.” 
                                Daniel 6:21-22                                    
 
There comes a time when God breaks into one’s 
life and gives him all the evidence and light 
he needs to make a decision. It happened in 
Acts with King Agrippa. Paul shared with him 
the truth of the Gospel. Paul shared his 
testimony of how God saved him. God’s word
convicted his heart. He knew what he needed to
do yet he turned away from the truth. “You 
almost persuade me to become  a Christian”, he
 told Paul. Darius reaches that point. He calls out to
Daniel with faint hope asking if Daniel’s God 
is able to deliver him.
From the depths of the lion’s den he hears the
voice of God’s servant.
O king, live forever! Daniel expresses his 
service and honor toDarius. Despite what Darius
has done to him there is no bitterness. Daniel
knows God is in control. God alone delivered 
him from the lions. Daniel will continue to 
serve the king if that is God’s will.
My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths
Daniel givesus insight into what happened in 
the lions den that night. Note he says MY God. 
This is a personal relationship, not the 
worship of a man to a hunk of wood or stone. 
Daniel’s God sent one of His messengers into 
the den. The angel came into what should have 
been Daniel’s tomb and stopped death. The 
lions’ mouths were shut. God could have 
delivered Daniel in many ways. Yet He chose to
give a special job to a special angel to 
accomplish his special purpose. God uses His 
agents – people and angels to do His work – now
and for all eternity. What a privilege to be 
part of God's work!
So that they have not hurt me Daniel uses the 
word destroyed. The lions were still lions. 
Their nature is to destroy. Yet God sent His 
messenger to stop them from fulfilling their 
desires. God’s angel did his job masterfully as
did Daniel. Two servants obeying God completely
brought great joy to God’s heart that day. It 
did for Darius as well.
Because I was found innocent before Him Daniel
does not gloss over the sin that was done to 
him. He is innocent of the charges. Daniel 
makes the point that he was innocent, the law 
was sinful. We American Christians consider 
ourselves as “law-abiding Christians”. We obey
the rulers over us, good and bad. There will 
come a time, however, when the law will be 
in direct opposition to ourfaith and service to
God. When that time comes we must be prepared 
to disobey all laws which are sinful and which
are in direct violation to God’s law. When that
happens we may suffer the consequences but we 
know God goes through the test with us.
Also, O king, I have done no wrong before you 
Daniel makes the point that he had not harmed 
the king. Unlike all of the king’s other 
leaders, he did not profit from his position. 
He fulfilled the task he had been assigned – to
ensure “that the king would suffer no loss”. 
Now God did the same thing by protecting Daniel.
What can we learn? We will face threats to our
Christian beliefs. Often we pray that God will
deliver us from these tests. Many times that is 
not God’s will – His choice is to deliver us 
through the test. If and when that happens we 
can be sure God who sent His angel to Daniel 
and who walked through the fiery furnace with 
Daniel’s three Hebrew friends will be with us 
as well. God IS able!