“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)

The Book of Daniel opens its chapters with a young man between the ages of 14 and 18. As a young man, Daniel was on fire for God, not willing to compromise his beliefs for the pleasures of sin for a season, and he held fast to the God of his forefathers. As we age in our walk with God, we can grow cold and indifferent to our Lord, as the Ephesian Church of Revelation – but not so with Daniel.

As we shall see in Daniel chapter six, Jehovah God sends, yet once again, a test to prove the sincerity of Daniel’s love for Himself. The result of Daniel’s whole-hearted devotion opens up the windows of heaven, pouring out God’s favor upon his life. As we look at this most popular of all Bible stories, may we glean from it a compelling influence to continue our walk with God fervent in spirit.

In this particular chapter, Daniel has crossed paths with some haters of the Lord in the administration of Darius the Mede. Daniel was despised by these evildoers because Daniel was a top leader of three presidents within the régime of Darius the Mede, and he was well favored by Darius because an excellent spirit was within him. But despite the opposition that Satan sends, and Jehovah permits, Daniel holds fast to his faith as he is yet again put to the test.

The first point the Lord has for us in this devotion is the fact that as believers we are going to be proven by God. God proves Daniel; and in the New Testament He proves Paul. In the book of First Thessalonians 2:4, the Word of God says that it is God, “which trieth our hearts.”

As we walk out our fellowship with the Lord, our hearts are going to be proven to show our sincerity. “The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts” (Proverbs 17:3).

We often see Jehovah God proving His People in the Scriptures. Deuteronomy 8:2 says of Israel, “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart…”

As believers, we can personally testify to this fact: God will allow you to be put in circumstances for the express purpose of your heart being revealed, refined, and renewed. God proved his servant Daniel, and Daniel proved true.

Being proved by God can put us, as believers, in some very awkward situations; but as Daniel believed in his God (Daniel 6:23), his God protected him. When we sell out in our hearts to God’s Purpose and for His Glory, God will always put a shield of protection around us, because we have placed Him first in our lives. Again and again in the Book of Acts, we see the Apostles of our Lord put themselves in circumstances that put their lives at risk; but they were operating in the divine realm of faith, in the fact that their God would keep them.

When we operate in our spiritual lives upon this plane, we open ourselves to benefits of the Kingdom that we would have never known, unless we had yielded our hearts to the proving Hand of God. In turn, this builds our faith even stronger, so that we can enter the next series of oppositions stronger and more confident in the God we serve. Jehovah is a faithful God, who will not only prove the sincerity of our faith, but in His Sovereign Control, will save us from the lion’s mouth.

In this devotion, we have seen that God is going to prove us. Also, God will protect us. And finally, we will witness the blessings of God, as God is pleased with us. After being lied upon by a bunch of jealous and envious political figures, Daniel is tossed into a lions’ den, because he refused to follow a law that impinged upon his conscience toward his conviction of prayer. After Daniel finds favor in the Lord, by Him sending His Angel to shut the mouths of the lion, and Daniel is rescued from the den; his political enemies are judged by King Darius; and Daniel is once again exalted for his whole-hearted devotion to the Lord our God.

King David states in Psalms 41:11, “By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.”

One way you will realize that God is pleased with you in the prison environment, is that God will not allow your enemies to take you in their craftiness. I have personally witnessed the Hand of God move like a lion amongst His prey, as He went forth on my behalf. Yield to the proving Hand of Almighty God. Watch Him protect you from the feeble hand of the enemy. And bask in the pleasure of knowing God is pleased with you.