When God Shuts Lions Mouths For Glory And Deliverance King Darius also known as Darius the Great had succeeded King Belshazzar as King of a defeated Babylon. He was older, extremely wise and a visionary of his time. He divided the empire into provinces to quell the constant rebellions and for better control had placed 120 satraps (governors) in charge. Overseeing the 120 satraps were three chief administrators. Daniel was one of them. Daniel was eighty years old at the time and was highly regarded by King Darius. Daniel had distinguished himself from the rest of the satraps because he had possessed an extraordinary spirit of excellence and diligence in everything he did. Daniel had done such a sterling job that he was primed for the position of Prime Minister of Babylon. This irked the others and they began to conspire against Daniel. Imagine Daniel a Hebrew serving in Babylon under a foreign King, this did not detract from who Daniel was this was orchestrated through Gods Providence. Imagine the favour Daniel had with the King just from his diligence in serving his Kings Empire. Imagine the witness Daniel was not from his talk but by his actions, that in serving King Darius his ultimate service was unto God. What a wonderful lesson for us to learn. You see God can use us as vessels of purpose anywhere. We have the God given ability to flourish where we are planted, for we serve the same God who is able to provide streams in the wastelands and exchange beauty for ashes. Daniel was also known for His faithfulness and service to his God. He would pray and unashamedly acknowledge God. He served his King but also made no apologies for serving his God. Tragically our world has lost all respect for authority, for Government, for law and order, instead a relentless vitriol of criticism and opposition is the order of the day. This is a spirit of rebellion and entitlement a divisive spirit and a house divided amongst itself will fall. Scripture admonishes us to, Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16.Daniel made a difference and was earmarked for promotion - what are we doing in our spheres of influence? You see sometimes doing a great job is not met with favour from all. Theres always a spirit of jealousy of opposition to those who earn man and Gods favour. People will dislike you, conspire against you, want to trip you and fault you at the slightest opportunity. Again God has provided for such eventualities, for no weapon formed against you will prosper! Whatever they meant for evil will be turned around for your good. This is Divine providence in action, on no occasion do we seek retribution, revenge or justice. He is the God of justice and He reminds us that vengeance is His and that our battles are already won! News of Daniels promotion did not bode well with the rest of the Satraps so they conspired against him, having no flaw on which to fail him except for his godliness, they cunningly convinced King Darius to pass an edict for everyone to bow down to him as their god and anyone caught doing otherwise would be thrown to the lions. The King was deceived and gridlocked through a legal channel chiefly to get rid of Daniel. Naturally Daniel went about his prayers as usual and was caught. When presented before the King, Darius was aggrieved and outraged at the thought of having his most loyal servant fed to the lions, all attempts to reverse the edict had failed. Then Darius said to Daniel, May your God whom you continually serve, help you! Outwitted and powerless King Darius invokes and provokes the realm of Daniels faithfulness as his last resort and only hope! What a resoundingly powerful testimony of Daniels life in the palace, when all else in the natural fails, our God is sought as the only one to change and turn things around irrespective of how dismal and hopeless it looks! You see this is the radical relentless faith that keeps on giving! A large stone was placed at the entrance of the den and sealed so no escape was possible. Sound familiar? Jesus tomb was sealed with a large stone in the hope that He would not escape, but man cannot interrupt or frustrate the plan of God. Darius was a wreck, no sleep, no food, worried sick he could not wait for morning to check in on Daniel. Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?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. Divine protection and justice meted supernaturally. Ironically this edict delivered both Daniel and Darius and all the Jews of Babylon to openly worshipping their God, the one who shut the lions mouths and set the captive free! Women of Worth International assist Pastors to start and maintain an effective Womens Ministry. Pastors in over 90 countries like the simple, free program because it gets many people involved, freeing up their time to do what only they can do. Women love it because it allows them to use their Spiritual Gifts within their church. Register to start a WOW chapter in your church at wowintl.net
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 08:28:32 +0000
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