DANIEL 6:16-28 COLLATERAL GRACE

Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
 

¹⁶ So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
¹⁷ A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. ¹⁸ Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. ¹⁹ At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. ²⁰ When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
²¹ Daniel answered, “O king, live forever! ²² 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, O king.”
²³ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. ²⁴ At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. ²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land:
“May you prosper greatly!
²⁶ “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
“For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. ²⁷ He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
²⁸ So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Although the most powerful kings of the world may be unable to prevail in certain situations, God is sovereign and all-powerful. He can make hungry lions abstain from eating, cause fire not to consume, reverse the machinations of evil men and even defeat death. Yet this all-powerful God is not distant, but is present to us at all times; in our joys and in our sorrows; in our celebrations and in our trials.

God’s presence is not our reward for refusing to do something evil or even resisting the evil that is around us. God’s saving presence is the result of his sovereign promise to us. Daniel was present to God in prayer and obedience regardless of his circumstances. Through the habits of his life, Daniel cultivated the knowledge of the presence of God. He was, therefore, in a position in which God could use Daniel’s circumstances to make himself known to the world. Daniel was not delivered from the lions because he was Daniel, but because God is God. God’s grace is so strong that those who stay close to God cannot escape the power of his grace.

The ultimate lions’ den that every human being faces is the grave, which is the den of that voracious devourer, death. Physical death takes us into the grave, but the real hunger of death is eternal. If we die in the conscious presence of God, his grace will be sufficient to deliver us to eternal life. Like Daniel, we practice the presence of God through faith. As Jesus promised, those who believe in him shall not perish (John 3:16).

Thank you, Father for the promise of your saving presence in my life. Inspire and empower me to make myself present to you through daily prayer, adoration and obedient acts of mercy. May I live every moment in anticipation of your kingdom and the knowledge of you as the absolute Lord of my life. May I know you to be my sufficiency even at the mouth of the lion. Amen.

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