“When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. He asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told him all that had happened. Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant.” Daniel 2:14-16
Daniel was obviously innocent in all this, yet he calmly and discretely dealt with the crisis. Daniel’s calmness in this crisis showed what kind of man he really was. In one sense, crises do not make the man. Instead, they reveal the man.
This wasn’t just a stalling tactic. Daniel knew that it takes time to listen to the Lord and to wait upon Him, and Daniel was willing to take the time if the king would grant it. Daniel needed time not to look up answers in a dream manual, consult the stars, or the nearest psychoanalyst, but to do what all of us should do in tense situations, and that is to pray. How I would like to be so in control of uncomfortable situations that I could handle each crisis with the poise and composure of Daniel, who calmly went to the king and asked him for a stay of execution that he might interpret the dream. The king’s own men had requested more time, but were refused. He had brushed them aside and said, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time”
When Arioch came to Daniel’s house to carry out the king’s decree, Daniel asked why Nebuchadnezzar’s orders were so urgent. Here Daniel illustrates how a great leader handles a crisis. Don’t panic. De-escalate the situation through sound reason. Remember, Daniel had previously won over both Ashpenaz and his steward, and now he was about to influence Arioch to join his team as well. Daniel had such a charismatic personality that when he, a teenage boy, asked this high-ranking officer for an explanation, the man was willing to give it
Daniel received an audience with the king and asked for more time to fulfill the king’s demand. Nebuchadnezzar sensed that unlike his other wise men, Daniel was asking for time not to stall but to seek from his God the solution to the king’s dilemma. Surprisingly, Nebuchadnezzar granted Daniel’s request. This was a highly unusual move for an imperial king who had just condemned his top brain trust for making the same plea.”