Good Morning! - Daniel 6:16-18 - No Fiddle Plain' Here Tonight - 2009.11.09

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of
lions. Now the king spoke and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest
continually, he will deliver thee.

And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords;that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him (Daniel 6:16-18).

The king of the world has a bad night. Even the king of the earth cannot always do what he would like to do. He is, after all, merely a man. He has to take a bath to keep from smelling bad. He has to go to the bath room and has to sleep a certain number of hours—just like the peasants who labor under him.

When trapped by his own laws, he finally gave in and commanded that his friend, old man Daniel, be cast into a den of hungry lions. His only ray of hope was in the fact that Daniel was a praying man. He said to Daniel, "Thy God whom thou servest continually." The people around us know if we are a phony or if we are the genuine article. They can put up with a lot of they are convinced that we are honest and truly believe what we preach and teach.

It is said that "the blood of the martyr's was the life of the church." It is true that the church is holier and more dedicated to the Lord when the bank account is low and when the church is being persecuted. Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? (James 2:5)

God seems to have an affinity for broken things. He takes note of the sparrow that falls and he wept at the tomb of Lazarus even though he knew he was going to raise him from the dead in a few minutes. Jesus' body was broken on the cross in the sense that it was mangled and the blood drained from him. He said to the disciples, "This is my body which is broken for you"(Luke 22:19). Gideon's band of 300 soldiers broke their pitchers to reveal the torches inside them. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18).

And now it appears that Daniel's greatest work may be to be broken to pieces in the mouths of lions. Where is God in all of this? Well, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. We may rest assured that one thing that is always the same with God is: 'Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust (Psalm 103:13-14).

We also may rest assured that "… the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him…(2Chronicles 16:9)."

Are you in the lion's den? Have you noticed that not everyone is in the lion's den" just you? Do you feel like no one knows or cares that you are in the lion's den? The old Negro Spiritual sings: "Oh nobody knows the trouble I've seen….nobody knows but Jesus. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen…glory hallelujah."

It is good if we can trust God when we are in the lion's den. It is not a cop-out to say: For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's (Romans 14:8). God is not careless or uncaring with His suffering and dying saints. He says: Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints (Psalm 116:15).

Daniel may have thought he was all alone there in that stinking lion's den, but he was not alone.

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18).

It also helps if we can say that our God is the one we serve continually.

Memory Verse for this week:

(Psalm 103:13-14) Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust (Psalm 103:13-14).