Daniel the Lion Tamer

There is a popular doctrine going round that says if you are living in the perfect will of God, and doing what He wants you to do, you will have no problems in life.  In other words, no sickness, no financial problems,  spiritually and physically on top of the world all the time.

While I must admit that sounds great, I have personally seen very few people achieve that level of spirituality in their walk with God.  In fact, I can’t recall one single person I know who lives on that plain.  Sometime we hear television personalities claim that that is the life they live, and if that is true, praise God for them.

Most people I know, walk in a relationship that is very similar to what we see in the Bible.  Using the Word of God as the example, we  see those saints who went through highs and lows in their lives. David, who was one of the greatest kings of Israel, who slew a giant with a single stone, was also the one who wrote, “ye though I walk through the valley of death….”.  He spoke of having to run to the rock of his salvation, and hiding in the shadow of the Almighty. 

If those great men of God had troubles in their lives, I guess I just don’t understand how someone can say that serving God is going to be a smooth trip, with no pot-holes and no bad weather.

Take a look at the life of Daniel.  Daniel was a man who came into Babylonian  captivity from a life as a man of God in Israel.  He was taken captive, and the Word does not tell us that he was out of God’s will when that capture took place.  He later became elevated to a position of power in the Babylonian government  and was the leading “president” over one-hundred  and twenty princes.  Evidently, he was in God’s will as he  was promoted by his captors.  He was  a Jew and not a Babylonian.  He was promoted because the king saw his relationship with God and spiritual insight that was  valuable to the king in his rule over the kingdom.

In the sixth chapter of Daniel, we are told that a number of the other princes  and  leaders became jealous of  Daniel’s relationship with the king and plotted against him.  The story goes that they deceived the king and had him sign a decree that for thirty days no one was to pray or petition any god or power except the king.  They knew Daniels character.  He prayed three times a day, without fail,  and they knew he wouldn’t change his habits.

Just as they expected, Daniel prayed, and they played.  They went to the king and ratted Daniel out.  The Bible says the king was saddened when he realized he would have to enforce his decree.  The penalty was the lion’s den.

Have you ever found yourself in this type of situation?  You were doing your best to please God, you knew you were in his will, and someone you knew, and perhaps considered a brother or sister, turned on you and the next thing you knew, you were in the loins den.  It was dark, cold, you felt isolated from all your friends simply because someone you considered a friend, brother or sister,  said or did things that were untrue?

The king told Daniel that he was convinced that Daniel’s God would somehow deliver him in the midst of the problem he faced.  The king had more faith than  all the other princes that Daniel thought were his friends.

The story goes, that Daniel was dropped into the den of lions.  Now these were not ordinary lions.  They were breed for the purpose of punishment.  They were kept hungry so that they would quickly pounce on anything that came into their den. The devil is that type of lion.  He goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  He is hungry, mean and lean, and he is out to get the saint of God if at all possible.

All night long, the king stayed awake.  He couldn’t eat, he couldn’t sleep, he worried and fretted about his friend Daniel.  All the time the king was tossing on his bed, Daniel was taming the lions.  I believe he stepped into that den convinced that one way or the  other, God was going to deliver him. I personally think he went out to meet the lions  head on.  I don’t think for a minute that he crouched over in the corner, and said, “oh woe is me, here I was trying to do right and now God has given me over to the lions.”  No, he walked right up to the lion and said, “boys, the same God who delivered David, and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is right here with me tonight.  Give me your best shot, cause you are on the losing side.” 

Early the next morning the king appeared at the den and called out, “ Oh Daniel, was the God you serve able to deliver you?”  Daniel walked out leading the pack of lions. “Hello, kingy ole  boy,  want to come in and pet one of my cats?”  Daniel knew he was more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus. He tamed the lions with  the Word of God and faith in his deliverer.

Remember the next time the devil comes against you, and most of the time he will  use people,  you can tame the lions just like Daniel did.  Life may not always be a proverbial bed of roses, by we can overcome by the Word of God, and the Blood of the Lamb.

In the wind, Double D