“But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.”
– Daniel 6:10 (NLT)
When he won the gold medal in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, Eric Liddell was a relative unknown. One hundred years later, he’s remembered not only as a gold medal Olympian, but perhaps even more so as the man who refused to run in his favorite event – the 100 meter sprint – because the preliminary heat was held on a Sunday. A devout Christian, Liddell would go on to become a missionary in China later on in life. But in 1943 he was captured and interned in a Japanese concentration camp, where he would die two years later at the age of 43.
So today, I would like for us to think about what it means for a Christian to live a consistent life. Perhaps a parent or grandparent comes to mind. Or maybe you think of a teacher or coach from back in your youth. What is it about them that stands out to you?
When the prophet Daniel defied King Darius’ law forbidding anyone in Babylon from praying or worshipping to anyone other than himself, we are reminded that sometimes the greatest tests we face come much later in life. Daniel was in his mid-80’s when the king made this month-long decree. And those of us familiar with the story remember that it was Daniel’s honest character which made it impossible for the jealous fellow administrators to pin something on him to have him removed from the king’s governing counsel. So they decided to use Daniel’s unwavering faith in God as their weapon against him. And sure enough, it seemed they were getting exactly what they wanted initially. But ironically enough, the weapon they used against Daniel would ultimately be the same weapon God would use against them and spare Daniel’s life.
As Christians living in the western part of the world today, it’s hard for us to envision the level of persecution that Daniel faced. But it’s worth noting that satan’s tactics are timeless, they’ve not changed. Maybe it’s not the threat of being fed to the lions we fear because of what we believe, but it could be the potential loss of a job. It might not involve being rounded up and forced to live in captivity in another part of the world, but perhaps it does mean being estranged from certain family members. During the pandemic, we saw how easy it was for the government to close the church doors on Sundays and demand compliance with staying home. There will always be a price to be paid for a faithful Christian to live a consistent life.
Daniel’s character and consistency earned him a reputation that had every potential to have him eaten alive by lions. But he never blinked, not even once. The moment he caught word of the king’s decree, he went straight to his room and did the very thing that he was forbidden to do. And it wasn’t that God would not have forgiven Daniel. It was that Daniel would not have forgiven himself.
Perhaps that’s what it really means to live a consistent Christian life; to not see obedience as a choice, but rather to see it as a courageous response that honors and glorifies King Jesus.
Former Blackout Artist 