Daniel 5-6

In Daniel 5, a new king is on the throne in Babylon, king Belshazzar. Much like Nebuchadnezzar in his early days, Belshazzar is full of pride and arrogance. While feasting one night, a finger appears and writes on the wall. None of the wise men can interpret the writing. Finally, Daniel is called in, who interprets it for the king. The interpretation calls out the king’s pride and how the the kingdom will fall and be given to another. That very night the Medes and Persians sieged the city and killed Belshazzar.

Now, in Daniel 6, Darius the Mede is on the throne. Daniel is worthy of leadership and no one can find fault in him. Men who hated Daniel knew the only way to trap Daniel was in accordance with the worship of God. So they tricked the king to sign a decree that people could only pray to him for a month. Knowing this, Daniel continues praying to God as normal and is thrown into the lions’ den as a result. But, God rescued him from this plot and punished the men who sought to harm him.

When confronted with the reality that he could only pray to the king for a month, Daniel did not change his ways. He knew the punishment and continued to pray to and worship the Lord. Daniel valued his relationship with God above anything else, even if it would possibly mean his harm. He could have easily chosen to not pray at all for the month, but he did anyway. He took his relationship with God seriously. That is a level of commitment we must have in our relationship with God. We must make prayer and study of the Word a priority like Daniel did, even when it is inconvenient.

Is your relationship with God non-negotiable?