Darius divided the kingdom into 120 regions and placed leaders over each one. As one of those leaders,
Daniel distinguished himself above all the rest. Darius was preparing to promote Daniel to the highest
position in the country, and his contemporaries were eaten up with envy. They searched high and low
for ways to discredit him and came up empty-handed. They knew the only way to ‘get him’ was to
create a barrier they knew he’d cross. And the only spot they knew Daniel wouldn’t give on was prayer.
Each day, three times a day, Daniel would open his window and pray facing Jerusalem. No matter what
was happening on that day, this was his ritual. So, what did his enemies do? They convinced the king to
make a law that anyone who prayed to any god other than him for 30 days would be thrown into the
lion’s den. They knew they had Daniel in the bag!
Darius signed the law and Daniel’s enemies went straight to his house to see what he’d do. They found
him with the window open, facing Jerusalem, on his knees in deep prayer. The edict didn’t faze Daniel
one bit. The threat of the lion’s den didn’t deter him. He was more afraid of disappointing God than
facing a cave of hungry lions. Oh, to have that kind of resolve! How many of us would compromise in
Daniel’s situation? Who of us would find a closet to pray in for 30 days? What if we were told we could
only worship another individual for 30 days? Would we continue to worship Jesus together with the
Church? Daniel didn’t miss a beat. He bent his knees in full view of his enemies. His faithful response
was too much. They approached the king and despite his angst, he ordered Daniel be thrown in the
lion’s den.
The king spent the night in agony. He knew he’d done wrong but didn’t know how to get out of it. At
first light, he ran to the cave, shouting, “Daniel! Has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to
deliver you from the lions?” You know the story. Daniel answered, “My God sent His angel and shut the
lion’s mouths. They didn’t take a bite!” The king pulled Daniel out and immediately ordered those who
tried to trip him up be thrown in the pit with the rest of their families. The lions killed them all before
they hit the floor.
120 leaders stepped up to the plate and Daniel rose to the top. For 30 days the empire was ordered to
pray only to the king. Daniel immediately, and without question, defied the order. One night spent in
one of the most brutal torture chambers in history and Daniel survived. Why? Because Daniel feared
God first and the king second. Just like his friends answered when they faced the furnace heated hot
enough to kill those standing nearby, “Our God is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, but
if He doesn’t, we still will not serve your gods or worship your statue.”
How we serve God isn’t what’s in question. God designed each of us uniquely and His Spirit intricately
gifted each of us. That means every walk of life should have people in it who trust God and obey His
commands. That also means every work station should have someone uniquely fitted to glorify God in
that spot. When a Daniel stands up, some people fall apart, but many more rise to the top with him. He
has no desire for people to worship him. His sole concern is that people are drawn to God and worship
Him.
In our world where nations rise and fall, national leaders succeed and fail, corporate entity heads grow
and compromise companies, and family leaders walk true and go astray—in this broken world we
desperately need to remember there is only One deserving of our worship and undivided attention. You
can’t buy His favor or earn a spot at His table by out-performing your peers. You won’t catch His eye by
heavy lifting or working 19 hours a day. He isn’t looking for the prettiest, smartest, richest, most
talented, or strongest. His only marker is faithfulness. And you and I don’t get to set the boundaries.
Faithfulness isn’t measured by achievement. It’s only measurement is obedience to Christ’s commands.
Either you’re in or you’re out; you’re either obedient or not.
Most of us don’t surrender our allegiance all at once, like Daniel’s peers. We give a little here and a little
more there. Slowly, we offer up our hearts to another and before we realize it, we are on our knees, but
Jesus isn’t the name on our lips. Only one question remains: Who’s your King?