Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. (Daniel 6:19-23)
You probably heard the story of Daniel and the lion’s den when you were a child. But Daniel’s story was not the cute kid’s story many imagine. The people against Daniel wanted him to be slaughtered maliciously and painfully by hungry lions. Scripture makes it clear to us that the lions were hungry to illustrate the impossible situation into which Daniel was thrown. Everyone knows hungry lions do not wait or pause when the prey is within reach - they pounce. The story of Daniel in the lion's den is a testament to the faithfulness and miraculous power of God for those who fear and love Him.
As King Darius anxiously waited to hear the fate of Daniel, he arose early in the morning and hurried to the den of lions. With a voice of fear and trembling, the king called out to Daniel, wanting to see if the God Daniel served could deliver him from the ferocious beasts. Daniel's response was one of unwavering faith and confidence in the power of his God. Daniel declared to the king that his God had sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions, preventing them from harming him. The lions weren’t suddenly docile; the lions were forcibly held back from doing what they wanted to do.
Practical Application
Daniel's experience in the lion's den teaches us a lot about faith and the power of God to intervene supernaturally in the lives of His people. No matter what you face, no matter how much the odds are stacked up against you, with God on your side, you win.