Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.
(Daniel 6:11 NIV)
Danger Intensifies
Daniel was in danger. Some men who were jealous of his favored political position, sought to kill him (Daniel 6:3-9). So Daniel did the best thing he could do: pray (Daniel 6:10). We don’t know how Daniel felt in the face of danger. However, we know what he did with whatever he felt. He ran to the Lord in prayer.
You might expect God to have answered such a devoted man right away in response to such faith. But as Daniel was on his knees asking God for help in the face of danger, something very unexpected happened.
The evil men who wanted Daniel dead found him praying. Finding Daniel meant they got just what they wanted—they caught Daniel in the act that was against the law and thus could have Daniel killed (Daniel 6:7). So as Daniel is praying, these men find him in the act, and his own danger is intensified.
Can you imagine Daniel walking up to his bedroom to fall on his face before God asking for help in the face of danger, and as he’s there on his face, those very killers come and find him? God did not deliver Daniel at the very moment he prayed. In fact, while he was praying it seemed his situation got worse!
How God Answered Daniel’s Prayer
Daniel did receive help from the Lord, but it didn’t come in the time or way he expected. God answered Daniel’s prayer. And I believe God answered it beyond what Daniel could have asked or imagined (Ephesians 3:20).
God did not save Daniel from being handed over to evil men, nor did he save him from being thrown into a den of lions. But God did deliver Daniel from both the evil men and the lions in time—and in a more dramatic display of grace than Daniel probably imagined.
Sometimes we think God’s answer to our prayers will result in immediate deliverance from danger or perceived harm. Yet, God might instead choose to hold our hand and walk with us through danger, fully intending to deliver us in the end.
God didn’t save Daniel from being thrown into the lions’ den, but when Daniel did get thrown in the lions’ den, God shut the lions’ mouths (Daniel 6:22). God didn’t save Daniel from being caught by evil men and falsely accused, but he did rescue Daniel from these men when they ended up eaten by the lions instead (Daniel 6:24)!
When Things Get Worse, Don’t Doubt God Has Heard You
Sometimes it seems that our prayers are going unanswered, and that our distress and danger increase, even as we pray. Do not be deceived into thinking God has not heard you. God hears the prayers of his people. He walks with us through trouble, and he is our deliverer. He has ultimately delivered everyone who puts their trust in Jesus from the worst danger—suffering the wrath of God for their sins for eternity.
If you are praying through danger, believe that God hears you, and that he has a greater form of deliverance than you may imagine in mind.