Start Somewhere

The end of your life is decided by the beginning of it. We see this truth in the life of Daniel, who made a principled stand in a relatively small area. And then he made a more difficult stand in a much bigger area.

Perhaps we can find the key to Daniel’s successful life in verse 8 of Daniel 1: “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king” (nlt, emphasis added).

Daniel took this stand in a relatively small area. But his resolution, commitment, and determination carried him through life.

He also had a deep commitment to prayer. When King Nebuchadnezzar called for an interpretation of his dream, Daniel and his friends prayed for direction. Then the Lord revealed the meaning of the dream to Daniel.

Later, when King Darius signed a law that no one could pray to anyone except him for 30 days, Daniel, knowing this law had passed, went to his home, opened his windows as usual, and prayed, giving thanks to God.

They summarily arrested Daniel and threw him into a den of lions. Even King Darius, who really appreciated Daniel, didn’t want this to happen. But once he signed something into law, even he couldn’t change it.

The Bible tells us that the next morning, “the king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God” (Daniel 6:23 NLT).

Yes, Daniel was stuck in Babylon, but we never read that he complained about his lot in life. In fact, Daniel lived such a godly life that his enemies could find nothing in it to criticize.

Daniel had a deep commitment to prayer, and he also realized that he had work that God called him to do.