About Deliverance
Reading: Daniel 6:16-28
“‘O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the lions?’ ”
Darius was so anxious about Daniel’s fate that he was unable to sleep. The king came early in the morning to discover the outcome for Daniel, who had become his favorite servant. Darius apparently trusted, or at least hoped, that God would protect his faithful follower. God did deliver Daniel.
Darius recognized God as a living being, unlike the carved idols worshipped by the general population. God was also praised for having an everlasting kingdom. The history of Israel and the history of the Christian church demonstrate that God is a saving God. That power was shown in the Exodus, in God’s activity through the period of the Judges, and most especially, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Our own need for deliverance may be different. We need to be saved from the power of evil, from the bondage of habits, from fear and doubt. To receive deliverance from whatever enslaves us, we must confess our need for help. The God who delivered Daniel is still active today, and will answer our prayers.
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed . . . So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 2 Timothy 4:17 (NRSVA)
For Reflection: From what have I been delivered? From what do I still need deliverance?
A Prayer Seed:
O fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
William Cowper, 1774
