Daniel 6:3-4

3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. 4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.

You would think that because Daniel was doing a good job that everything would turn out fine, but that is not the case. Daniel distinguished himself from the others, and an excellent spirit was found in him. Because of his excellence, Dairus had purposed to promote him, but the other Satraps felt jealous and plotted for a way to bring him down.

Our expectation as believers is that things will work out smoothly if we are walking in righteousness, but that is not the case. We sometimes make the assumption that when things go wrong, then God is not happy with us and hence he has allowed bad things to happen to us. We forget that all things work for good to those that love God and are called according to his purpose.

Daniels’s defense was his relationship with God. He knew the God he was serving, and he had a track record of walking with God. God was the anchor of his life.

How do you respond to the challenges that life brings your way? Do you allow these challenges to affect your relationship with God and your attitude towards God and others?

In all that was planned and plotted against Daniel, he maintained a good attitude and his character remained intact. These are important things for you and I to remember.

Reflections

• Has doing the right thing ever got you into trouble? What happened?
• How would you react if you were in Daniel’s shoes?
• Looking back at your walk with God, reflect on some of the moments that God has come through for you.