“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” (Dan 6:10). “Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.” (Dan 6:11 NIV).
The scriptural text above reveals the main secret of Daniel’s unequalled success in Babylon. It reveals why Daniel outlived the reign of four Babylonian Kings and still maintained national relevance in government affairs. It explains why “…Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps…”(Dan 6:3). Something special was responsible for such an outstanding performance. The latter part of Daniel 6:3 reveals that “special thing” as being that, “…an excellent spirit was in him… .” The result was that, “…the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.” (Dan 6:3). The king’s intention displeased the governors and satraps, who, therefore, “… sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.” (Dan 6:4).
It is noteworthy that Daniel’s enemies could not find any fault with him concerning his conduct of government affairs. He was neither corrupt nor negligent in his discharge of official responsibilities. Therefore, they concluded : “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” (Dan 6:5). Daniel’s traducers could make a link between his devotion to his God and his excellent performance at work— a connection which many, even among Christians today, have failed to see or acknowledge. A lot of people denigrate the Church because, in their opinion, it has little or no practical relevance to the enhancement of society. This destructive misconception is misguidedly premised on the notion that those who emphasize the priority of an intimate walk with God through prayer, Bible reading etc are too heavenly minded to be of any earthly use.
Thank God Daniel knew better, because the writing which he knew had been signed, was the decree that no one should pray to any other God except the king for thirty days (Dan 6:7-9). The penalty for violating that decree—which was irrevocable under the law of Medes and Persia—was to be thrown into the lions den. Though Daniel was aware of all that, he went home and still knelt down in prayer to God three times that day. Wow! There must have been something else he knew beyond the penalty of being fed to the lions, that informed his decision to break the law.
Daniel knew his God. It is one thing to know about God and another thing to know Him. The Psalmist says, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” (Ps 9:10). To know God’s name is to know Him—His name represents His nature, character, mission and person. What you know about God is just intellectual knowledge that is incapable of fostering, let alone sustaining transformation. To know God is to have a revelation knowledge of Him that revolutionises your life, inside out. This is what fosters the trust in Him that Psalms 9:10 speaks of. Daniel’s decision to continue to pray to his God, in spite of the royal prohibition, was not a demonstration of bravado, but of deep-seated trust in the Lord, whose close friendship and partnership he had carefully cultivated over the years. Daniel did not respond to the situation from his head, but from his heart.
That high and enviable level of intimacy between Daniel and his God did not develop overnight. The Scripture says, “…he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, AS WAS HIS CUSTOM SINCE EARLY DAYS.” (Dan 6:10) (emphasis mine). Note the consistency with which he sought God. It was his custom since early days. The dictionary defines “custom” as “Frequent repetition of the same behavior;… habitual practice; method of doing, living or behaving.” Daniel prayed so frequently that it became his habitual practice. It is also instructive that his habitual practice of prayer was “since early days.” If, like Daniel, you desire an intimate relationship with God, then make it your custom early to pray consistently—when you feel like it, when you do not, until you do. Remember that, like Elijah, Daniel was a man like us, yet he prayed frequently and habitually until, even his enemies acknowledged that an excellent spirit was in him, because the effect of his intimacy with God permeated and influenced every area of his life.
“Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.” (Dan 6:11 NIV). They knew the secret of Daniel’s excellence in life — his habitual request for God’s help. This is reminiscent of Jesus, “who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,” (Heb 5:7). A man whom God helps is a man who stands out in the affairs of life. When you consider that Daniel’s outstanding success story is set in a foreign country in which he was an exile, you will appreciate the power of God’s help better. “Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless.” (Ps 60:11). Shalom.
