The Bible tells a fascinating story about Elisha the prophet and his servant. Enemy forces had surrounded them, and when the servant suddenly realized it, he began to panic.
He woke the sleeping prophet and cried out, “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” (2 Kings 6:15 NLT).
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Elisha said to him, “Don’t be afraid! … For there are more on our side than on theirs!” (verse 16 NLT).
Then Elisha prayed that God would open the servant’s eyes. The Bible says, “The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire” (verse 17 nlt). He saw the supernatural forces of God surrounding them.
The Bible tells the story of another prophet, Daniel, who was arrested for praying. Daniel had been carried away captive from Judah to Babylon, and he had an amazing habit of praying three times a day. He was very open about it.
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When King Darius began to reign, he recognized that Daniel was a man of integrity, someone who would get the job done. He quickly began to favor Daniel over all the other advisers from the previous regime.
In fact, he planned to put Daniel in charge of everything. As a result, the others were extremely jealous of Daniel and wanted to bring him down. But there was one problem: Daniel didn’t have any skeletons in his closet. There weren’t any scandals in his life. There wasn’t anything to expose.
His enemies said, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion” (Daniel 6:5 NLT).
So, they came up with an idea. They would convince King Darius to sign a decree that no one could pray to anyone except him for 30 days. And the penalty for disobeying this new law was death.
The king was very flattered by this, so he signed it into law. And the laws of the Medes and Persians could not be overturned, not even by the king. Thus, Darius unwittingly condemned his top adviser to a certain death.
In some ways, Daniel could have wriggled his way out of this. He could have said, “I’m long overdue for a vacation. I’m going to leave town for 30 days, and when I get back, the law no longer will be in effect.”
Or, he could have said, “You know, I’ve been praying three times a day for a long time. I think I could take a break for 30 days.”
Daniel, however, didn’t change a thing. The Bible says, “But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God” (Daniel 6:10 NLT).
When the Bible first introduces us to Daniel, he and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are teenagers. But by this time, Daniel probably was 80 years old, maybe even 90. And he still had a habit of prayer.
As the adage says, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”
This can be good or bad, depending on what kind of habit we have. If we think about bad things and develop bad habits, it will haunt us for a lifetime. On the other hand, if we think about godly things and develop good habits, it will become our legacy.
Such was the case with Daniel. He could have panicked. Instead, he simply did as he always had done. And no doubt while he was on his knees in prayer, he received the courage to take a bold stand.
Now, Daniel had never read the book of Daniel. We know how the story ends, but he didn’t. What he did know was that his fate was certain: He would be thrown into a den of lions.
Yet Daniel survived this. Understand, it was the result of God’s intervention, because afterward his accusers were thrown into the same lions’ den and were promptly eaten.
Daniel chose to trust God, no matter the circumstances. It appeared as though all was lost and that it was his last night on earth. But God was at work, and he dispatched one of his angels to deliver Daniel.
King Darius had spent a sleepless night, despite the comforts of the palace. Meanwhile, Daniel slept soundly in the peril of a bunch of hungry lions. And the next morning he told the uptight king, “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” (verse 22 NLT).
It is better to be in a lions’ den with God than anywhere else without him. And we all will face our lions in life.
Maybe you’re in a lions’ den of sorts today. Maybe you’re facing a threat to your life like Daniel was. Or maybe your marriage is unraveling, or you’re having troubles with your children, or people are attacking you because of your faith. Maybe you’re going through a massive trial with no apparent end in sight.
The good news is that God will not give us more than we can handle.
This life that we’re living as followers of Jesus Christ is not a game. It is not a dress rehearsal. This is the real thing. And every day in this spiritual battle, we’re either advancing or retreating. We’re either gaining ground or losing ground, not only as the church but also as individuals.
Let’s remember Elisha’s statement to his servant: “Don’t be afraid! … For there are more on our side than on theirs!” If you’re a child of God, then you don’t have to be afraid.
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