Daniel and the Lion's Den

Scripture: Daniel 6:1-28

As I looked over the list of Bible passages, one immediately jumped off the page. Daniel and the Lions Den. Just weeks before, I stumbled across Daniel’s Answer to the King, by Briton Rivière. If you haven’t seen this painting, take a minute and look it up.

What struck me about this picture was how different it was from the image I’d formed in my head. Was it different than the one in your mind?

Rivière depicts Daniel looking toward heaven. When I look at the painting I see Daniel and he’s calm...as if he’s having a conversation and he’s listening as the other person is speaking. He’s unconcerned about the lions that surround him.

I’m reminded of the lines of the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling:

“If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you....

...Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!”

If Kipling tells us what it means to be a “Man,” then Rivière shows us what it means to be a Man of God.

It’s Christmastime and soon we will celebrate the birth of Jesus. A long time ago, the Magi left on a journey. Unsure of where they were headed, they looked toward heaven and charted their course.

Let us look to God for our direction too.

Prayer:

Lord, when we are surrounded by uncertainty, help us to remember you are our guiding light. Amen.

About the Contributor:

John Faris III will be serving as Elder beginning next year. He will be serving on the Youth and Communications Committee. John and Catherine Faris have two children involved in the Youth program at First Presbyterian Church.