Daniel is my Hero!
That’s a strange way to start a blog but hear me out! Since February 22nd, the beginning of the season of Lent, I have experienced 40 days of intentional “cleaning house”. My spiritual and physical house, that is! I have been on the Daniel Fast (only fruits and vegetables and water). I don’t tell you that tidbit to impress you, but it impresses me that I conquered, and with it, I’ve learned some valuable lessons about Daniel and me.
For years now, this is the “fast” that I have chosen. It causes me to desire to take on some of Daniel’s character traits. It is by no means the 40 days in the desert with no food or water that Jesus experienced and when He was tempted by Satan. So, please hold back any applause!
Remember in Daniel 1 when Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego requested that they be tested for 10 days with nothing but vegetables and water to drink. They asked to compare their appearance with that of the young men who ate the royal food.
Sure enough, at the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the others. Daniel 1:18 says: “God gave those four young men knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. King Nebuchadnezzar found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”
Fast forward to Daniel 6:10, Daniel had just learned that anyone caught praying to someone besides King Darius would be thrown into the lions’ den. Can you imagine the level of fear this edict could have stirred up in Daniel? He easily could have found himself in a pit of despair before he ever came close to the pit full of lions. But Daniel’s reaction was amazing.
Daniel goes home, throws his windows open and prays anyway. I wonder if I could have been so brave? And do you know what he chose to pray? Not “God, save me!” Not “God, it’s not fair!” Not “God, this is too much!” Not “God, smite my enemies and wipe them out!” No. None of that!
Daniel spoke prayers of gratitude. “He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.”
Since Daniel’s response is so opposite of the way most of us would react, it makes me stop and ponder the truths that I want to remember and live out.
1) Thankfulness must be a habit. Since gratitude-filled prayers were Daniel’s reaction, that tells me gratitude and trust in God were front and center in Daniel’s heart. Daniel was able to give thanks, even during uncontrollable circumstances, because it was a habit he’d already formed in his life.
2) Fear ends when we start giving thanks. Being a thankful person seemed to help Daniel combat fear. He simply threw his windows open and prayed where anyone and everyone could see. I’m not sure I would have been so brazen and bold…..but I sure want to be!
3) We can’t always fix our circumstances, but we can fix our eyes on God. Daniel knew where his help and his hope came from — it came from God, and God alone.
I’m coming out of this fast healthier and stronger spiritually and physically. Not because of what I’ve done, but because of what I have learned from Daniel’s great faith that even spared him later from the mouths of lions.
I desire to keep my eyes fixed on God instead of fixating on my “issues”! I’m going to give thanks more and complain less. I’m sure that’s what God wants from us. Less complaining and more praising! That is Thanksgiving Living!