Daniel Part 5 - Faith in a Den of Lions

Send us your questions or feedback hereDaniel Part 5 – Faith in a Den of Lions.Today we look at one of the best-known stories in the Bible. Darius is the new emperor, and he is encouraged by his advisors to issue a decree that no-one could pray to any god other than to the king, for a month. The decree demands a response from everyone in the empire; it demands a response from Daniel.The manoeuvres behind the decree demand greater scrutiny before Daniel’s response is understood because it was brought about by those who wanted to bring Daniel down. They had tried to find ways to discredit and destroy him, but he was just good. He was honest, diligent and trustworthy, and for these reasons had been elevated, within Darius’ empire, to a position of great responsibility. The only thing that Daniel’s enemies could attack him with was his faith and commitment to his God. Daniel had a choice:He could comply with the decreeHe could carry on praying to God in secretHe could carry on praying to God morning, noon and night, as was his customEvery day, wherever we are and whatever we do, we face the same challenges. The Bible says that if we are faithful then we will be persecuted for our commitment. We will be denounced and accused, just like Daniel, and our instinct may be to panic or to try and justify ourselves. That’s not what Daniel did. He found himself in a deeply unjust situation, but what he did was what he always did. He trusted God. The secret to Daniel’s faith and steadfastness was not prayer at a time of crisis, it was a commitment to prayer and a devotion to developing an intimacy with the God he trusted, every day of his life. In the moment of crisis, he could stand, because he could trust that God would vindicate him.You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.