“Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” Daniel 6:25-28
God is the great encourager. After all he went through, the Bible records, “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian”. In James 1:12 it says, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” The purpose of testing is to glorify God, but it is also to purify us. Whenever we are purified, we prosper; when God puts us in the furnace and He drains off all the dross, we come out as pure gold. Then it’s time for a promotion in the plan of God.”
Can you imagine a decree like that coming from the White House and broadcast over every television station and headlined in every newspaper? That national statement of faith was recorded by a pagan Medo-Persian. The real focus of the story is on God. He took the lions’ den and used it for His own glory and His own purpose, and when the story was all over and written, the purpose of those difficulties was to glorify God.