Daniel 6:9-11 “Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.”
Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”
When the clear conflict came between faith and adherence to the rules of the state, Daniel didn’t hesitate to honor the Lord. He didn’t sneak in an illegal prayer or two in a way that nobody would find out about his rebellion. He didn’t marginalize his faith-filled practices in order to comply with the onerous violations of his sincerely held religious beliefs. On the other hand, he didn’t undertake showy prideful acts as pharisaical demonstrations of his superior faithfulness either.
Instead, Daniel did what he always did – with his windows open he kneeled in humble faithfulness. He reliably prayed to His Lord and God as he did aforetime. Daniel’s detractors knew exactly where to find him to condemn his acts because he was faithfully consistent in prioritizing the Lord in his life.
As conflicts come in our lives, may we not hesitate to honor the Lord. May our faithfulness in the face of opposition cause us to reliably act as we did aforetime. PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE RELIABLY FAITHFUL. May our consistency be a clear sign to all around us that no matter what opposition we face, we will be faithful as we were aforetime.
