Daily Devotional #1937

The Bible tells the account of Daniel who was a Jewish man who was a part of those in exile in  Babylon. He became a trusted leader in this foreign land. Other leaders were jealous of Daniel  and wanted him gone, so they targeted his faith. They tricked King Darius into signing into law  a decree that for 30 days no one could pray to any god or person except the king. Or they would  
be thrown into a den of lions. Daniel knew the law and he went home, opened his windows  towards Jerusalem and prayed to God three times a day just as he always did. They caught him. 
The King liked and respected Daniel, but the law was such that it could not be altered. He was  thrown into a pit with hungry lions that was sealed with a stone covering. The King didn’t sleep  a wink all night long. When morning came, they took away the stone, and they called down and  asked if he was still alive. Daniel, very much alive, said that God had sent his angel to shut the  mouths of the lions because he was found innocent before him. He was lifted out and those who  had plotted his death were thrown in along with their families and all perished. Daniel trusted  God and for his trust he was thrown into a pit with hungry, meat-eating animals. And God  protected him. There are times when we feel like we too have been thrown to the lions. You  may believe God, but there is the lion of people who want to hurt you, the lion of fear itself, the  lion of poor heath or even the lion of sketchy finances. You are in that pit, and you are facing the  lions in the darkness of that time. Remember that God has not forgotten you. Stay faithful and  let God do his work in you and for you. Not only will God shut the mouths of the lions in your  life, but he will use your faith in that situation to honor him and to open the hearts of others who  are watching you journey through this time. To do this, you will need faith and courage. And  the God of the Bible is with you even in the pit of danger and death. Make prayer a priority to  stay strongly connected to the God who loves you and is standing ready to meet that deepest  need you have right now. Here’s our Bible verse for today…  
Daniel 6:19-22 NLT Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’  den. (20) When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was  your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” (21) Daniel  answered, “Long live the king! (22) My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that  they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you,  Your Majesty.”  
Remember I'm praying for you,  
PJ