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This month we are looking at the Old Testament book of Daniel to learn what it means to live with an Unshakeable faith. The book of Daniel is full of some of the most well-known stories in the Bible and one of them is Daniel and the lion’s den. Before we look at the story in more detail, let’s separate out some facts from fiction. When many of us think about this story, this is what comes to mind. (pic)
We picture Daniel as a young man and the lions like big cartoon cats, but this wasn’t what it was like. Daniel was an old man at this time. He was taken as a young man from Judah and became a leader for King Nebuchadnezzar, then his grandson King Belshazzar, and then King Darius. Daniel is now 60 or 70 years old, having served for over 50 years in the administration of Babylon.
And the lions were not cute cats, they would have been ferocious animals that were housed in an underground den and kept hungry and on edge so that when someone was thrown in, they would have been immediately torn to pieces. This was not a cute and casual situation for Daniel, it would have been a harrowing and frightful situation where death was guaranteed.
But as you may know, when Daniel was thrown in, he was not torn to pieces. God sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions and the message we usually take from this story is that if we have an unshakeable faith - God will rescue us. While that might be true, what is also true is that it was because of Daniel’s unshakeable faith that he ended up in the lion’s den in the first place.
Many people think that when we when we place our faith and trust in God, that God will rescue us from all harm and that we will never experience any suffering or pain. I wish I could stand here and tell you that this is true, but it’s not. An unshakable faith doesn’t keep us from all trouble, it keeps us strong through the trouble. Daniel’s faith and trust in God didn’t keep him from the lion’s den, it actually led him to be thrown to the lions, but then it did keep him safe in the lion’s den.
What we are going to learn from Daniel is that sometimes living with an unshakeable faith is what leads to hardships and trials. Pain and problems are not always a sign that we have sinned and failed to live by faith. What Satan wants most is to pull us away from having faith and trust in God, so if he can use pain and suffering to get us to question God and turn away from God, he will. For Daniel, being thrown to the lion’s wasn’t a sign that he had done something wrong or that he had been abandoned by God, it was the evidence that he was doing something right. It was the evidence that he was living with an Unshakeable faith.
Here is one truth I hope you will consider and take with you today. Our problems aren’t always a sign that we have done something wrong or that God is not with us, they might be the evidence that we are doing something right and that we are being faithful.
For over 50 years, Daniel had been doing something right, he had been living with faith. While he faced challenges along the way, Daniel stood strong and was able to share his faith in God with each new king in Babylon. Daniel’s faith so inspired the kings that there were times they also worshipped God and called on all the people to worship God. But Daniel’s strong faith also came under attack. Not everyone liked Daniel or his faith and that is what led to him being thrown to the lions. Daniel 6:1-3
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
The first thing we learn about Daniel is that he distinguished himself in service. The word distinguished is the Hebrew word: mitnassah which means to excel, to stand out, to prevail.
This is the only place that this word is found in the Hebrew Bible. Daniel’s work was so exceptional that God used a word that stands out in all of scripture. Part of what it means for us to have an unshakeable faith is that we serve God with INTEGRITY.
Serving God with integrity doesn’t mean we have a strong faith and trust in God just when we are in worship or among our Christian friends, it means we live with faith at all times and in all places. Daniel served God by being the best leader and administrator he could while working for a foreign king. Daniel may not have liked all that Babylon stood for and he may not have liked the King and all he did, but he served the King with integrity.
Daniel was a man of his word. He did what he was asked to do if it lined up with his faith, and if it didn’t line up with his faith, Daniel politely asked for permission to live according to his faith. Daniel worked hard and he gained wisdom. He showed up early and stayed late. He didn’t bring a lot of drama to work, and he was supportive of his coworkers.
Living with an unshakeable faith means we need to serve God with integrity not just here in worship and among believers, but when we are at home, at work, at school, at the store, in our neighborhoods, and when we are posting online and speaking anywhere in the virtual or face to face community. We need to live and work with distinction.
If you talk with any employer today, they will tell you that finding people who will work hard, commit to learning the job and doing what is asked without complaining and arguing is not easy. Finding people who won’t bring drama into the workplace but will speak well of others, be kind to those around them, and diligently learn how to do all that is asked and all that they see needs to be done - is not easy. Part of having an unshakeable faith is having that kind of work ethic.
As you may know, after 29 years in operation and serving our community, we had to close our daycare at the end of the year. One big reason we had to close was that we could not find anyone to work in the classrooms. Part of that was due to some difficult requirements for teachers and classroom aides set by the state, but part of the problem was just the work ethic of many people. It was hard to find people who wanted to show up to work, show up on time and work hard.
But we had one employee who lived and worked like Daniel. She did everything that was asked and more. She started when she was in high school as an aide in a classroom. She then worked her way to being a teacher and then one of our directors. She never brought personal drama into work and quietly helped all her coworkers work through their problems. She excelled and stood out. She distinguished herself and I trust that God will help her prevail. I know that whoever hires her will get one of the best employees they will ever have - if they will just give her the chance. To me, she is serving God with integrity, just like Daniel. That is how we all need to live.
Everywhere we go we need to distinguish ourselves by our hard work. Paul tells us, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Colossians 3:17
This is part of what an unshakeable faith looks like and this is how Daniel lived and worked and served foreign kings for over 50 years. While his service was noticed and honored by the kings, it caused some jealousy among his coworkers. An unshakeable faith doesn’t always keep problems away, sometimes it makes us a target for attack and Daniel became that kind of target.
Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” So King Darius put the decree in writing. Daniel 6:3-9
Because of Daniel’s distinguished service and hard work, his coworkers got jealous and looked for a way to cancel Daniel. You see, “cancel culture” is nothing new. And just like today, when they couldn’t find any grounds to tear Daniel down, they created one. They set up a scenario where he would have to either compromise his faith in God or be unfaithful to the king. A decree was put into place that said no one could pray to anyone or anything other than King Darius for 30 days. This gave Daniel 3 options.
1. Daniel could stop praying. He could have told himself that he could still be faithful to God, he just wouldn’t pray like he used to. He would compromise his relationship with God and give up the practice that gave him strength and wisdom for 30 days.
2. Daniel could pray silently. For 30 days, Daniel could pray, but just not tell anyone he was doing it. He could change his habit and pray in secret. Who would know?
3. Daniel could do what he had always done and make it known to everyone that he still prayed to and trusted God and risk getting thrown to the lions. This is what he did. Daniel went home and prayed just as he always did. Daniel 6:10
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.
Just as he had done before. Daniel prayed three times a day in an open window. Daniel didn’t compromise or change his practice, he remained faithful. The second step to creating an unshakeable faith is to trust God with CONSISTENCY.
It’s not what we do occasionally that makes a difference; it’s what we do consistently. If we want a faith that will stand up during a crisis, we need a faith that is consistent, a faith that we nurture and develop and stand on every day. If we want to learn how to praise God through the hard times and find joy even during times of sorrow, we need to praise God every day. Praise and worship need to be an ongoing and consistent part of our lives.
If we want to find strength and comfort in God’s word when times are uncertain, then we need to be reading God’s word daily. If we want our prayers to give us strength and peace when times are tough, then we need to pray without ceasing. It is only by doing these things consistently that they become the source of strength and power when we need them.
Our faith and trust in God will never be unshakeable if we only see God, speak to God, worship God and learn from God occasionally. An unshakeable faith takes consistency. Daniel faced this challenge as an old man after a lifetime of faithful service. His faith had grown during good times, and it had been tested during difficult times so it could now be relied on in a crisis. Daniel kept living with faith.
That is the third step of an unshakeable faith, we honored God with FAITHFULNESS. Daniel honored God by continuing to pray 3 times a day, but he also took a posture of humility - he prayed on his knees.
Daniel’s posture and prayer show us that his heart was humbled before God. Instead of getting angry with God or demanding God help him because he had been faithful all his life, it says he gave God thanks and praise. Even in the face of certain death, Daniel honored God and praised Him.
An unshakeable faith honors God in humility and gives thanks in all circumstances. Trusting God doesn’t demand God take care of us when we face problems but knows that no matter what happens, God will see us through. After a lifetime of serving God in Babylon, Daniel was willing to stand strong even if he meant he would die, and there was no guarantee that God would step in and save him. Daniel prays and honors God not knowing if God will rescue him, he prays and honors God because he knows it is the only faithful thing he can do.
Now we know the rest of the story and that God did rescue Daniel.
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. Daniel 6:19-23
An unshakeable faith didn’t keep Daniel out of the lion’s den, but it did keep him safe in the lion’s den. God might not keep up from all problems, but he will keep us through all problems. And when we stand strong, we make a difference in the lives of those around us.
Daniel’s unshakeable faith not only made a difference in the life of the king but all the people of Babylon as well. The king was so taken by Daniel’s faith and God’s power to save that he issued a decree that everyone should honor God. This is what the king said:
“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 6:26-27
An unshakeable faith changed everything for the people then and another story of an unshakeable faith changed everything for all of us. The story of Daniel and Jesus are amazingly similar. Daniel lived with faith and integrity and so did Jesus. Daniel’s peers were jealous of him and looked for ways to attack him, and so did Jesus’. Daniel was thrown into a cave where everyone thought he would die, and so was Jesus.
Jesus was laid in a tomb, and it was sealed. The world thought Jesus was dead, but when morning came, the stone was rolled away and just like Daniel, Jesus was alive and walked out of the tomb. His unshakeable faith brought salvation to all the world.
An unshakeable faith doesn’t always keep us from experiencing problems, but it can keep us and hold us and help us through the problems. So, serve God with integrity, trust God with consistency and honor God with faithfulness.
Next Steps
Unshakeable - Week 2
When have you chosen to do what was right, even if it wasn’t the easier decision. How did that grow your faith?
Read the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. Daniel 6
An unshakeable faith grows with these three practices:
Serve God with integrity
● Where do you need to serve with more integrity?
○ Home? School? Work? Church?
● What does it look like for you to serve God in these places?
● How does Colossians 3:17 speak to you today? And Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Trust God with consistency
● It’s not what we do occasionally that makes a difference; it is what we do consistently.
● Where is more consistency needed in your relationship with God, the church, or the world?
● Adopt one practice this week that can help you more consistent in prayer, worship, study, or service.
Honor God with faithfulness
● How can you incorporate humility into your daily relationship with God, your family, friends and coworkers?
● What faithful step of faith is God asking you to take today even if you don’t know what the future will be?
Pray: God, thank You for Your goodness. Help us to trust in You and Your plan no matter what the future holds. Help us to treat others with the same love You’ve given us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
