A King’s Contributions

Pressured by jealous aides, Darius sentenced Daniel, his most trusted advisor, to the lions’ den. Darius had been tricked into approving a law that anyone who makes a petition to any “god or man” besides him would be “cast into the lions’ den.” After sealing Daniel in the den, Darius could have assumed that the matter was closed. But he seemed to sense that something extraordinary might happen.

Before the den was sealed, he told Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” Darius recognized that Daniel had served God faithfully and that it certainly seemed possible that God actually might deliver him.

But Darius did even more. He “spent the night fasting,” seeking God as best he could on behalf of his friend. He was serious! And in the morning, he “went in haste to the lions’ den” and was overjoyed to learn that Daniel had been spared! He seemed to know why. For Daniel was the “servant of the living God.”

The Bible says that Daniel was saved “because he had trusted in his God.” But Darius, too, may have played a part. When no one else seemed to care or believe, Darius did everything he could.

Today, how do you react to problems in your life and the world? Do you pray half-heartedly, without much conviction? If you don’t see immediate results, do you give up? The Bible reminds us that prayer is powerful. That, with God, it never is too late. That we are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Right now, commit your needs to God in prayer. Pray seriously. Fervently. And remember: With God it never is too late!