Be Real Together:

Take a few minutes to catch up, tell stories, and laugh together. Trust and friendship take time to build. If you’re launching a new DNA, one person should tell their story — what do we need to know about you? Next week, have another person in your DNA share their story.

Read Together: Daniel 6

Grow Together: Observe and Apply

The book of Daniel is written primarily during the dominant years of the Kingdom of Babylon. Here in Daniel 6, the land is now occupied by the Medes and Persians. King Darius has come into power in this region and he’s establishing a government for himself. He appoints 120 satraps who were the chief representatives of the king. Daniel is promoted as one of the top 3 administrators to oversee these satraps and even stands out above the rest because of the incredible wisdom and authority he carried, which of course came from God.

Keep in mind, Daniel is quite old by now. While he was brought into Babylon in his teen years, he’s now in his 80’s. The previous King didn’t even utilize him, and so now he’s been reactivated into a political career in his old age. What’s interesting is that even though he was clearly qualified and gifted in his role, his subordinates took issue with him, going around his back directly to the king to establish a temporary ordinance in hopes of catching Daniel breaking the law by his faithfulness to pray to God.

Have you experienced a situation in which someone was against you and tried to bring you down? Did you stay the course or let the intimidation take you off track from serving God?

Turn your attention back to verse 10.

As you’re reading the verses prior, it seems to be ramping up - “Anyone who prays out of turn will be throw into a den of lions!” Yet, just after, in the most peaceful language - it simply says, “Daniel went into his house ….and prayed….gave thanks to God, just as he had done before” as if there was never a question in his mind. He goes into the room he always prays in, he faces Jerusalem just as the Scriptures instructed him to in 1 Kings 8, he gets on his knees as he always does before God, and he prays three times a day like always. He is steady in his faithfulness.

See, the satraps knew they had nothing on Daniel. In fact, they knew there was a good chance that he’d keep on praying even if it was against the law. The irony of it all is that they thought they had found Daniel’s weakness, where in fact, prayer was his greatest strength!

Consider this quote:

Daniel’s relationship with the Lord was not crisis-oriented. —Charles Swindoll

Can you say that your relationship with God “is not crisis-oriented,” that you’re not afraid to stay true to your convictions even when it might be costly? Or do you often wait until a crisis to go to God?

As we close our time together today, think about this: Character isn’t formed in the moment of adversity, it’s revealed in the moment of adversity. We see this in the person of Daniel. Who we are under pressure is usually a reflection of the kinds of people we’ve been practicing to become.

In light of that, when you think about the way you’re living your life, who are you practicing to become? How does the character of Daniel challenge you?

Pray Together:

Lord, help us to be people who are steady in our faithfulness to you. May we, like Daniel, seek you in the day to day. Make us into a people who are being conformed into your likeness that when crisis comes we can stay the course and remain faithful to you. Thank you for your great faithfulness towards us. In Jesus’ Name we pray, AMEN.