Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said to Daniel, Your God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you. A stone was brought, and laid on the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Daniel 6:16'17 WEB.

After serving God faithfully, Daniel was thrown into a stinking hole in the ground, full of hungry lions. The half-starved lions were eyeing him and each other, saying, "What's on the menu this afternoon?" Daniel must have sat at the bottom of that lion's den and thought: "REALLY? This was the plan? What's up with that?"

I thank God Daniel's story does not end there. This difficult test was the beginning of a season of promotion for Daniel. The lions did not touch him, and after getting out, he prospered under the king and had great respect. The king now knew that God was with Daniel, and he sought his counsel. As a bonus, Daniel's enemies were tossed into the den and eaten, so he did not have to worry about them conspiring against him anymore.

There have been times when I have found myself in a similar stinking hole in the ground, right after trying my very hardest to draw close to the Lord. I could fast and pray for a few weeks and suddenly get laid off from work. I would think, "What's up with that?" Yet each time, it worked out for my good. The Lord sometimes has to remove something to give you better or bring change.

At one point, in stark contrast, I lost the best job that I had so far as a supervisor and soon had to work at the worst position that I ever had, at one-third of the pay. I was praying and fasting a lot of the time, and I knew that God was in control of my life. I was submitted to Him, and whatever He wanted, I wanted. I also knew that He was testing me, for it was so obvious. The job was so bad that it was funny at times, and people did their drugs unabashedly. As I looked around me, this scripture kept ringing out:

"And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:23'24).

So I made the job into a game and set out to be the best worker they had ever seen in the worst work environment I had ever seen. I was the first to arrive, and I worked late. I kept my work area immaculate. I swept the floors and picked up trash. I picked up people without a ride and brought them to work. Soon I found myself the manager. Then that door suddenly closed, and the Lord pushed me into my own computer business. It was a strange path to promotion.

What you consider the "worst thing that could happen" maybe your path to favor and promotion. So work heartily wherever you find yourself just as if you were working directly for the Lord, and you will be rewarded. Smile, God is the real boss.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You so much for all You are doing in my life. I know that You control what happens to me, for I have given my life to You. Please help me focus on what matters and cover me with Your presence today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.' (Philippians 4:6-7) ~ If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network

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