April 28 : Daniel 6

"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. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: "Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions' den?"
Man I love this story. I think its amazing that Daniel was able to stand his ground regardless of the decree set before him. In today's world in America we will not face the threat of being thrown into a lions' den. We just don't have that threat. But we face threats of many kinds on many different levels. I think the biggest threat to me is the doubt that sometimes clouds my faith. Studying in the university setting, especially in the sciences, we are told not to think in the creationists pattern of thought. We are told many different things that, usually, seem to be at odds with the Christian faith. We are left with this sense of doubt. Sometimes we are dragged down by our friends into places, where we did not necessarily want to go in the first place, but now enjoy. But we see from Daniel that he was able to overcome that - even if it meant his death. We can probably assume that Daniel had a great deal of fear during the whole process. But he still stood his ground. And in the end we see that God's name was glorified through it all. How awesome.