June 24.
Kneel So You Can Stand

Daniel 6:7

Whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

When Daniel knew that the writing was signed he went home, climbed up stairs and raised the window in the direction of Jerusalem. Then he knelt down and prayed the same as he always did. He continued praying morning, noon, and night as was his custom. And while he was kneeling, his enemies caught him. Kneeling in prayer is a good place to get caught. Now Daniel could probably have avoided being caught praying. There are many ways to pray and no one even knows. I talk to God while I am in my car driving down the road. Nobody knows I’m praying and sneaking to my Lord. I talk to God in the bed when I’m lying down and can’t sleep. I just lie there and have a prayer meeting in the bed. I talk to God in the airplane 28, 000 feet in the air. So I wanted to ask Daniel, “You knew the decree had been signed by the king and that you would go to the lion’s den if you got caught praying, so why didn’t you get in some corner where no one could see you? Why didn’t you go in your closet and talk to God?”

I can hear Daniel’s answer. He says, “One reason I didn’t hide in a corner was because I didn’t meet God in a corner. I didn’t meet Him in the closet. I met God out in the open. I don’t have a closet religion.

I don’t have a behind the scenes Christianity.” If you are ashamed to own Him before men, the Lord will be ashamed to own you before his father in heaven.

Daniel was not afraid to go to the lion’s den. He refused to allow a few self-centered men full of envy rule his life and hinder his relationship with God. His faith had brought him too far; he had seen God work in too many ways to turn aside now. Daniel triumphed in each test of his faith and stood strong in the time of testing. We can also.