Rockin’ Daniel

I studied through the book of Daniel last month, while sitting by my fireplace in my polka dotted chair, and I tell you, Daniel rocks.  Let me show you why.  Hang with me here while I have you read the passage from Daniel 6 that precipitated my evaluation of this amazing man:

“It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: “O King Darius, live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” So King Darius put the decree in writing.

 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”

Before I gush about how infatuated I am with Daniel, please remember this;  any power or special skill that Daniel had came from God, but it was because Daniel was obedient to Him that God was able to work mightily through Daniel.  I know this and I think people that trust God are awesome.  And so we proceed with the evaluation…

3 Reasons that I think Daniel was Super Awesome:

1.  Daniel’s reputation preceded him.

Daniel had so distinguished himself by his exceptional (aka God-given) qualities that people noticed—important people noticed!  Daniel recognized the things he was good at and he did them to the best of his ability.  Daniel did not settle for mediocrity.

2. Daniel lived his life to glorify God.

He did not let the worldview of that society taint him.  Instead of letting life just “happen”, Daniel determined that his life would not be polluted by corruption or deceit.  People noticed this too.

3.  When Daniel learned about a decree which would most certainly sentence him to a gory demise, he didn’t panic like I would have.

Daniel simply went home, got down on his knees and prayed to thank God—just like he always did. Did you get that?  JUST LIKE HE ALWAYS DID.  Daniel was so confident that God was in control of things that he just kept on doing what he’d always done—he trusted God…and believed that He was still in control…even though Daniel’s circumstances made it look like He wasn’t.  Wow and wow. 

And guess what? The big cats didn’t eat him.  And guess what else?  The king who had put him there was so impressed by the God that Daniel worshipped, that he issued a decree that in every part of the kingdom, people must fear and reverence the One True God! 

Truly awesome, don’t ya think?!

Go Daniel!