God Who Rescues: Lessons from Daniel 6

Recently I was reading Daniel 6 and although I've read it several times over the years, this time one word kept jumping out at me, and that is rescue. Maybe you have noticed it as well.

In the story, when Darius is cornered into arresting Daniel, he was determined to rescue Daniel from impending death. When this proved unsuccessful, we see Daniel thrown into the lion’s den. King Darius said to him as he was thrown in,

“May your God whom you serve continually rescue you.”

The next morning, when King Darius rushed to the lion’s den, he cried out,

“Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the lions?”

And he found that Daniel had not even suffered a scratch, because Daniel did indeed know the God who rescues. This prompted Darius to declare,

“He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

God’s Power to Rescue

Darius had no power of his own to rescue Daniel, even though he was the king. But Daniel's God possessed that power! And today we serve the same God of Daniel—the God who rescues and the God who saves!

Praying for God’s Rescue

Perhaps this can be a new way for you to pray. When you have loved ones that need to find salvation, let us pray that God will rescue them. If we have fellow believers who have fallen away, or who have fallen into a sinful life, pray for God to rescue them. When we see people who are in a cult or false religion, instead of rebuking them, let us pray that God rescues them. Moreover, we can even cry out that God would rescue us in our time of need!

The Bible instructs us that the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone whom he might devour. Remember, he has no more ability to harm us than the lions did when Daniel was dropped into that pit. We must pray for those who are facing the lions today that God rescues them.

If we don't stand in the gap with that prayer of rescue, and they continue in their sin, they too, like Daniel's adversaries, face the possibility that their bones will be crushed even before they hit the bottom of the pit.

Be a Vessel of Rescue

As you pray today--and I hope you do every day--may you find someone who needs a rescue prayer. You may be who God uses to keep them from hitting the floor of the lion’s den.