Among LionsSample

CONTEXT: King Nebuchadnezzar is awestruck by the miracle he just witnessed, promoting Daniel and his friends to higher positions of influence in Babylon.

Once again this week, we’ve seen Daniel and his friends’ unwavering faith and commitment to God in the middle of an intense situation. And once again, we’ve seen God move in mighty ways to provide wisdom, courage, and protection.

Today, we see the impact of their faithfulness. King Nebuchadnezzar didn’t believe in the One true God. As the Babylonian king, He worshiped a variety of gods. He depended on magicians and enchanters (today, we call them psychics and fortune tellers) for spiritual guidance. We know their efforts fell short, and Daniel, through God’s power, was able to describe and translate the king’s dream, giving all the glory to God. This provided an opening for God to make himself real, not only to Daniel and his friends but to King Nebuchadnezzar, too.

After Daniel successfully revealed the details of the dream, Nebuchadnezzar fell on the ground, praising Daniel’s God, and had an offering presented as a way to honor Him. Here, the king recognizes God “as the God of gods and Lord of kings.”

The king also honored Daniel and his friends by promoting them yet again. This encounter between King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel led to a relationship between the two men. In the days to come, we will see this relationship continue to impact the king as his admiration and respect for Daniel grew.

Daniel reminds us that our character matters. It matters to God, and it matters to those around us. As we read about Daniel, we learn of his deep faith, but we also see that he is grateful, humble, respectful, and gracious. He and his friends were men of integrity and character. Like Daniel, we have the opportunity to impact those around us - friends, family, neighbors, coworkers - by the way we live every day. People notice when you have peace in the middle of life’s storm or unexplainable joy or when you give credit to God for what He’s doing in your life. Moments like these add up. They not only strengthen your own faith, but they can be the open door for those around you to encounter Jesus.

CONSIDER THIS:

1. If you follow Jesus, think about the person(s) who was instrumental in leading you to the Lord. What about their character drew you to them and ultimately made you trust their spiritual leadership?

2. Consider your own character. Do those around you know there’s something different about you because of your relationship with Jesus? If not, what needs to change?

3. Write a prayer to God asking Him to reveal areas in your character that need to be more like Him.