Being odd for God

In the last post, we learnt how this decree had come to pass. This decree that no one should pray to anyone else except the king. And what is Daniel’s response? He just carries on doing what he has always done.

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.  Daniel 6:10

Just as he had done before.

He carried on doing the right thing. Praying regularly in front of an open window.

And so the king has no option but to carry through on his threat. The wise men of Babylon make sure of that.

When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.  Daniel 6:14

There is no way he can change this royal decree however and Daniel is thrown into the lions’ den. And as he is being thrown to the lions, King Darius himself acknowledges the existence of Daniel’s God!

“May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”  Daniel 6:16

That night, the king cannot eat. He cannot sleep. He cannot stop thinking about Daniel. And in the morning, he runs to the lions’ den.

“Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”  Daniel 6:20

Servant of the living God. He knows deep down that Daniel’s God is the only living God.

Whom you serve continually. Daniel has been faithful in the good times as well as the bad times.

And the answer is yes! God has rescued Daniel from the lions! Daniel has trusted in his God and his God has shut the mouths of the lions.

And the men who had accused Daniel and all their families were thrown into the den and eaten by the lions.

Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:

“May you prosper greatly!

“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God
and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
He rescues and he saves;
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.”  Daniel 6:25-27

This is the God we serve. We should carry these affirmations with us in our hearts and minds always (and maybe on a piece of paper in our purses or back pockets to remind us).

In his book ‘Stretch’, Gerard Kelly talks about eccentric people. He puts Daniel in that category. Not eccentric as in weird or crazy, but eccentric in the original meaning of the word which is “a life or a world-view that is ‘rooted elsewhere’, having a centre other than that chosen by the dominant system or world-view.” (page 160)

People whose centre is elsewhere will often be raising questions about the assumptions and accepted values of the society in what they live. They will be challenging the status quo simply by the way they live which is seen as odd and at odds with the people around them.

But take Daniel. His centre was a better centre. His life was centred on the living God. Having this living God at the centre is the best way to live, the way we were created to live. Like Daniel, we can be engaged with the present world in which we find ourselves, giving our best to all that we do, serving others in love and faithfulness, but we are not centred in this world. Over sixty years have past since the beginning of the book of Daniel. He’s no longer a young man. He’s seen kings come and go. And the whole time, his life has been centred on the one true God.

We are called to live in the creation, but be centred in the Creator.  Page 161, Stretch

And how does Daniel achieve this? Well, prayer is at the centre of his daily life. However you pray and wherever you pray, make sure you pray regularly. This is the way the wise men of Daniel’s day know that they will be able to trap him, because he is constant in his prayer life and there can be no compromise. And when it comes to the lions’ den, it is not Daniel who prays for his rescue, but the king. There is no doubt in Daniel’s mind that God can rescue him and will rescue him if it’s part of His plan.

It’s a challenge, isn’t it? Because being a Daniel isn’t just about rising to the challenges or acting all brave when the going gets tough. It’s about a daily life of service and prayer. Living a life every day that is centred on God’s values and not the world’s. Being different to those around us every single day. Being eccentric for God.