Dare to be a Daniel

I remember as a kid receiving a pin-on button with a cartoon of a kid staring up into the mouth of a roaring lion. The caption around the edge of the button said "Dare to be a Daniel." I can picture the cartoon exactly as it appeared on the button. I wanted to be the kid on the button. I still do.

Daniel in the lion's den is one of my favorite Old Testament Bible stories (my all-time favorite is that of David and Jonathan).

Daniel was taken to serve the king of Babylon when the country of Judah was captured by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. He was selected due to his intelligence and good looks. He was then trained for three years to become a servant of the king. He was known for sticking firmly to his beliefs and was blessed with "knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning" (Daniel 1:17). He could also understand/interpret dreams and visions of all kinds.

Daniel was one of three administrators appointed to oversee the 120 satraps that ruled throughout Babylon. Daniel acquitted himself so well that Darius(the third king that Daniel served) planned to put him over all of the administrators and satraps. The other leaders were jealous and set up a plan to have Daniel removed from power. They looked for ways to trap him within the laws of the land but they couldn't because he was "trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent." The only way they could find to trip him up was to take advantage of his devotion to God. They never doubted for a second that he would not veer from his beliefs.

The other leaders had Darius pass a law stating that no one in his kingdom could pray to any other god or man but him. Daniel, of course, continued to pray to God three times a day. The other leaders pointed this out to the king and he was forced to throw Daniel into the den of lions. Daniel spent the entire night in the den with the lions, but was not hurt. He told the king that God sent an angel to close the mouths of the lions because he had done nothing wrong. The king had Daniel pulled from the den and threw the wicked administrators into the pit. The wicked men didn't even touch the bottom of the pit before the lions jumped on them and tore them to pieces.

Daniel impresses me in several ways. He continued to worship God regardless of the pressures of society (he was literally threatened with death). I like the list of traits that Daniel was professed to possess by three different rulers and their retinues:
1. Handsome
2. Well-informed
3. Quick to understand
4. Had no equal
5. Had "the spirit of the holy gods" in him
6. Insightful
7. Intelligent
8. Outstanding wisdom
9. Had a keen mind
10. Able to solve difficult problems
11. Had "exceptional qualities"
12. Trustworthy
13. Incorruptible
14. He was not negligent
15. He served God continually

I would definitely "dare to be" like Daniel. My prayer is that God grant me the same courage, wisdom and intelligence that he gifted Daniel with. I pray that I can grow (day by day) the reputation that I "serve God continually" and am trustworthy and incorruptible. God give me the strength to dare to be a Daniel.