Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to Arioch, the captain of the king’s bodyguard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon…So Daniel…requested of the king that he would give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king.” (Daniel 2:14–16 NAS95)
Wisdom. Attention. Openness to God flowed naturally from Daniel’s discipline of prayer. Nebuchadnezzar made an impossible request, but Daniel knew God could provide the answer. Both the king’s dream and the interpretation had to be revealed to Daniel in order to stay the decree to kill the wise men of Babylon. Daniel had confidence God not only could do this, but would. Since the matter demanded urgency, Daniel sought the help of his friends to support him in prayer. They gladly did so since their lives hung in the balance as well. God responded quickly. That evening God spoke and declared to Daniel exactly what he needed to know. The king then understood who truly ruled (Dan. 2:47).
I find it amazing that Daniel could expect God to reveal a matter of such importance and consequence. Yet I walk with the same God. Should I not expect God to inform and lead me as well? Daniel cultivated intimacy with God and prayer marks his whole life; he even records some of his conversations with God in his writings. I have to believe that Daniel’s discipline in prayer opened him to the voice of God and kept him at peace in the midst of a situation that, normally, would provoke grave anxiety due to the threat to his life and the lives of his friends. From that openness, wisdom flowed to him in the moment because he had trained his attention to God through regular discipline in prayer. He could answer with discernment of God’s will and remain at peace because he knew God’s passion for people as well as His desire to be known (Dan 6:10, 2:47, 4:32c). God was not only present, but Daniel, due to cultivating a lifestyle of prayer, had the ability to remain present to God. I’d like to be counted among that number.
For Reflection:
“With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.” (Psalms 73:24 NAS95)
- What might God be inviting you to practice in order to deepen your attentiveness to Him in the moment?
- When you examine your heart, do you discover anything that might hinder or open you to noticing God’s interaction with you?
