Daniel 6

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime”. (v. 10)

It is interesting to note that Daniel defied the proclamation of king Darius, and prayed as he had always done, not changing his pattern. You see, he could have closed the windows, and still prayed, and he would feel just in doing so, so as not to “make any waves”. Though commanded otherwise, he still did what he had always done. This speaks of consistency, as well as OBeying the Lord at all cost, and at all times, in spite of the opposition. Daniel is known for taking a stand, or, as we teach the children “standing alone”. We sing the song “Dare to be a Daniel” and yet I wonder what most of us would have done? Daniel openly, and flagrantly defied the kings order, knowing full well what the punishment would be. He did not justify hiding his actions by telling himself, “well, at least I am still praying” or perhaps, as I have heard many times, “If I get caught, then the praying will cease. It is better that I pray than die, and the praying ceases.” That thinking applies to all areas of our lives, of course. We have many ways of justifying our compromise. He was praying “to the glory of God” and could have justified himself in delaying the inevitable by simply closing the window, but he did not. It is as if (by the reckoning of many today) he says “Catch me if you can” to the king and his cohorts; some might say that he tempted God, and I see the fine line of distinction there, but Daniel just continued to do what he had always done in the way he had always done it. We need to “dare to be Daniels” today too.

I wonder if we would oppose the government today if it conflicted with our private worship. Some do, and acquire a certain amount of fame, but these are rare fellows, and often thought to be very strange even among their peers. Daniel may have been accused of bringing trouble on himself, and deliberately trying to make trouble because he could have closed the window and not made himself so OBvious. He could have compromised his regular custom of praying toward Jerusalem with the window open.

I do not condone anarchy, or rebellion, but there are times when the politics of this world clash with the things of God. It happened in Paul’s day, and in every age since; even Jesus had to deal with a religious-political system. What will you do when that day comes for you? Will you dare to be a Daniel?