"Fear God, Love God, Serve God": "Protection Assured!"

"Then the king returned to his palace for the night;

he refused to eat and he dismissed the entertainers.

Since sleep was impossible for him, the king

rose very early the next morning and hastened

to the lions’ den. As he drew near, he cried out to Daniel

sorrowfully, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has

your God whom you serve so constantly been able

to save you from the lions?” Daniel answered the king:

“O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and

closed the lions’ mouths so that they have not hurt me.

For I have been found innocent before him; neither

have I done you any harm, O king!” This gave the

king great joy. At his order Daniel was brought up

from the den; he was found to be unharmed because

he trusted in his God."

(Daniel 6:19-24)

It is for the Glory of God! What? When we are tried; when we are persecuted for Christ's sake; when we are wrongly accused; when we go through trials and tribulations in this Christian life. It is important that we conduct ourselves so as not to be blamed by our watchful enemies. People all through the bible did it, and they did it successfully. What? Kept the faith in the midst of their tribulations ... Daniel, Joseph, Job (even though his so-called friends blamed him), and what about you and me? We know that in the workplace, or anywhere else, for that matter, that once they find out we are Christians, the war is on. It seems they do everything they can to trip us up, to cause us to fail, to prove that we don't really believe what we profess to believe. So, the lions ROAR, but is our faith strong enough to shut the lions' mouths?

"The king then ordered the men who had accused Daniel, along with their children

and their wives, to be cast into the lions’ den. Before they reached the bottom

of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones."

(Daniel 6:25)

People are watching; co-workers are observing; bosses are looking on; friends and relatives who are unbelievers are keeping a close eye on us when trouble hits. Why? They want to see how we react when the shouting and dancing are turned into tears and sorrow. It's happens to all of us, you know; the rain falls on the just and the unjust. Do we bear our burdens with dignity? Do we carry our cross with faith overshadowing our darkness? Do we walk in the midst of the flames expecting a fourth man in the fire? Do we believe for the miracle? Do we feel the brush of angels' wings? Has the dove landed on the ashen face of our testimonial trial?

"Then King Darius wrote to the nations and peoples of every language,

wherever they dwell on the earth: “May your peace abound! I decree that

throughout my royal domain the God of Daniel is to be reverenced and feared:

“For he is the living God, enduring forever, whose kingdom shall not be destroyed,

whose dominion shall be without end, A savior and deliverer, working signs

and wonders in heaven and on earth, who saved Daniel from the lions’ power.”

(Daniel 6:26-28)

Ah, the result of the witness, the effect of the miracle, the reason for the affliction, the purpose of trials and tribulations, the Glory that abounds from the work of a trial by faith. It is so that the Glory of Almighty God may be shown. Don't we know by now that "all things work together for the good of them that love God and are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) Knowing this, then, our prayer should be, in every trial and trouble, that Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, may be glorified in it! We stand on the Word!

"Dear Lord, let my faith be strong, let me
stand in the throes of persecution, in the

times of disease, trial, and affliction. Let

me trust You through it all, that Your name

be glorified in me, that Your miracle working

power be manifested in me, that Your beauty

will come from the ashes in me. You are My

light and My salvation, in whom I trust! So,

Lord, I say unto You, Be it unto me according

to Your Will, O Lord." Amen and Amen!

He will never put more on us than we can bear; He will make a way of escape in every trial ... that is, if He is aboard our boat. Huh? Jesus Christ is a Savior to those who belong to Him; He rescues those who put their trust in Him. Give Him your heart today, won't you? Ask Him to forgive your sins, fill you with His Spirit, and then be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins ... then, expect the brush of angels' wings, the angels in your den of lions, the way made where there was no way, the miracle when there was no hope, the blessing of Goshen living when all others suffer pestilence. When you are in His family, wearing His name, filled with His Spirit; you belong to Him and He will take care of you! He will see you through!

O, Daniel, we learned a lot from you, about unmovable dedication to the oracles of habitual prayer, steadfastness in the midst of trial, protecting our witness, and winning others to God by the very act of our unwavering faith. When we belong to Jesus Christ, the Creator, the Lord of Lords, the Holy One of Israel, the One Who Is, Who Was, and Who IS to come; we can have "Protection Assured!"