Walking With The Lions
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.
Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”
Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” Daniel 6:17-22
I wrote a business note the other day about being tireless. Its focus was on the fact that the spectacular things in life are not these one-off moments but instead an act of consistently doing the right things repeatedly until one day it gets noticed.
I think of that on some days when I really do not want to go to work. It is not because I do not enjoy my job or am bored with it. It is simply that sometimes, the wear and tear of dropping off children and my wife at various places and waking up so early to do so just gets to you. Add on the sniffles and illnesses that little grandchildren get and conveniently pass on to you, well. There is your recipe for a ‘Sorry, I just do not have it in me,’ day. However, those are the days that I think of those depending on me to deliver for them, and somehow, I make it through it.
Being a servant of God is like that in many ways. We find ourselves in situations where it would just be easier to do a worldly thing, and life would be okay. It could even be something simple that no one else would notice. Just between you and God. But something just tugs at you, and you say to yourself, “You know what? I must follow what God wants and trust in Him it will all work out for the best.”
That is not always easy because you do not know what the outcome will be, and in many cases, you will even see that it would likely be to your detriment. However, something a pastor passed on to me this Sunday that stuck with me not because it was convicting although it was in some ways. He said, “We commit to God regardless of what the consequences might be.”
Our commitment to God does not determine our outcomes. They build a legacy that shows His faithfulness. Daniel lived this truth long before the lions’ den ever became part of his story. His habit of praying to God three times a day was not a dramatic act of defiance. It was a quiet rhythm of faithfulness. When the decree was issued that made prayer illegal, Daniel did not suddenly become bold. He simply kept doing what he had always done.
That consistency cost him a lot. Daniel 6:17–22 tells us that he was thrown into the lions’ den, the entrance sealed with a stone, and the king left hoping, but uncertain, that God would deliver him. Daniel’s obedience did not guarantee protection. It led him straight into danger.
That is the part of the story we often overlook. We tend to read this passage for the miracle. But Daniel did not know a miracle was coming. From his perspective, faithfulness could very well have ended in loss. His commitment was not based on the outcome. It was based on the relationship. And that is where this passage meets us.
Most of our faith decisions are not dramatic. They look like integrity when no one is watching. They look like choosing honesty when a shortcut would be easier. They look like forgiveness when holding onto resentment feels justified. In many cases, obedience does not make life easier. Sometimes it makes things harder.
Following God is not a strategy for better circumstances. It is a decision about who we trust when circumstances are uncertain. The beauty of Daniel’s story is not just that God shut the mouths of the lions. It is that Daniel’s life had already been shaped by daily trust long before the crisis arrived. The miracle revealed God’s faithfulness, but the legacy was built through Daniel’s consistency.
Sometimes God delivers us from the lions. Sometimes He walks with us while we sit among them. Either way, the call is the same: faithfulness without conditions.
Hebrews 11 reminds us of those who did not have a positive outcome as Daniel did saying, “All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.” (Hebrews 11:39-40) The outcome did not define their obedience. Their trust did.
That perspective changes how we live. When we commit to God regardless of the result, we are no longer negotiating with Him. We are trusting Him. We are saying, “Whether this turns out the way I hope or not, I believe Your way is still the right way.”
And over time, that kind of faith builds something deeper than favorable outcomes. It builds a life that reflects His character. It builds a quiet confidence that circumstances cannot shake. It builds a legacy that points beyond us.
You may be facing a decision right now where doing the right thing feels costly. You may already see the potential downside. If so, Daniel’s story offers a simple reminder: obedience is not about controlling the ending. It is about trusting the Author. Where am I tempted to tie my obedience to a desired outcome? What would it look like to trust God even if the result is uncertain? How can I practice quiet faithfulness today, before the “lion’s den” moments come? My prayer is that we have the courage to choose what is right even when the outcome is unclear, and we trust Him when we are walking with the lions. Amen.