A Lion in the Daniel’s Den

Trapped! You're locked in a pit. The only escape is plugged with a seemingly immovable obstacle. In the deep darkness, you pace back and forth throughout the day or night. You're not really sure of which because you've already lost track of time in your subterranean exile. Food is occasionally dropped in, but you shy away because the opening of your prison delivers an unusual brightness of the rarely seen sky, and it burns your eyes. Immediately after the door closes, you make a move toward the food before the others pounce on the scarce meal. The lack of food has made you irritable and overly aggressive. It's as if your captors wanted you to be hungry to maintain a ravenous edge.

You are a hungry, ferocious and proud lion that is trapped in a den, and things are about to get worse.

The sky reveals itself again, and the piercing light invades your space. Something is dropped into your den. It smells like meat, but something is different. As the entrance is sealed again, what you thought was food stands up and begins to walk toward you and the other lions. As you all huddle together and cower in fear, the undesirable truths grabs you by the lump in your throat as you realize you have come face to face with a Daniel.

Daniels and Davids and Jobs, oh my! I can say with bit of certainty that you have never heard that before, and there is a fair chance you may never hear it again. If my blatant "tagline" substitution isn’t a crime, then the lack of its usage should be.

"Fear not nor be afraid of them!"

Great words given to us by God through Moses. I have found that "them" isn't always people. Quite often, "them" is us, "them" is things, "them" is fear, and "them" is problems. It made me wonder, why are "them" not afraid of me?

The command God has given in Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you where ever you go."

Have I followed the order or believe the promise it ends with? My shameful answer is, if not no, perhaps not always. I think if the answer was a resounding yes for all of us, then we would approach life a lot differently.

From these thoughts, I've taken away three things:

1. We should live as if we have heavenly backup
2. Believe in the security that comes with the promises of God
3. Our problems should be afraid of us

I hope that these thoughts can in some way allow you to look into your own life as I have done mine and ask the tough questions. When the answer is no, decide what it will take to become a yes! We were fearfully and wonderfully made, not made to live in fear!

Written by Lt. Darell Houseton
Newark Ironbound