"Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee." Daniel 6:16
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Daniel is probably one of the greatest examples of prayers in the Bible. He was living in a heathen community, but because of his dedication and devotion to the Lord, God was able to use Daniel to manifest His power.
"For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." 1 Corinthians 4:20
"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
The church of Jesus Christ is supposed to be operating in the power of God's Spirit, which dwells in us. Men of God do not get in a place of power with God by living inconsistently for God. Let's look at some examples from Daniel's life. He was a man of prayer, fasting and thus, a man God could trust with His power. (We have so many distractions these days.)
"Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank" Daniel 1:8
Today, we need to set aside anything that defiles our souls before God. I'm preaching to myself as well as anyone who wants to be used of God, no matter how big or little an endeavor God may have for any of us to do.
"Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his ..." Daniel 2:20
The book of Daniel is filled with one great mission after another. After God gave Daniel the answer to Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Daniel immediately remembered to thank God. He also remembered to give God the glory when he revealed the mystery of the dream to King Nebuchadnezzar:
"But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets ... but as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of they heart" Daniel 2:28, 30
The miracle of the Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego began when the three young men refused to worship the false gods of Babylon.
"Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" asked King Nebuchadnezzar. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Daniel 3:15-17
You need to read the whole chapter. It's a tremendous story of the triumph of remaining pure unto God and letting His miracle-working power be a witness to the heathens watching.
But, probably my favorite example is found in chapter 6. The other princes of the kingdom were jealous of Daniel and looked for a reason to get rid of him.
Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. Daniel 6:3-5
So these guys made a decree saying that no one could pray nor petition anyone besides the king for thirty days. And when Daniel heard the decree, here was his response:
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. Daniel 6:10-11
This is another chapter that you need to read the whole story. This is the saga of when Daniel was thrown into the lions' den, and God delivered him. The reason that God saved him was because Daniel "served God continually" (Daniel 6:16, 20), and because "he believed in his God" (Daniel 6:23). How many of us can say that three times a day, we drop everything, kneel down and pray and give God thanks? Daniel was a man that was disciplined and dedicated. Later in the book of Daniel, Daniel is given great revelations because of his praying, fasting and seeking God. I pray that the Body of Christ may become as dedicated to God and as diligent as Daniel.
Read the whole book of Daniel and study it. We would be mightily blessed to follow in this Godly prophet's footsteps.
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