Deeper Reflection
When you face the lions – literally or figuratively – do you see the lions or the Lord?When Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, God “shut the lions’ mouths” and the result was the lions “have not harmed me” (v.22). While Daniel was in the lions’ den, he was actually in God’s hands and so were the lions. The lions’ mouths were shut toward Daniel, but not his malicious accusers when they were thrown to the same lions (v.24). Why? Because God is Lord of the lions’ mouths.However, this experience of Daniel is not a promise for all people at all times, that when we are in a lions’ den, God will always “shut the lions’ mouths” and it will always be “they have not harmed me”. If the lions’ mouths are not shut, does that mean that the lions are not in the hands of God? No. Whether the lions’ mouths are shut or not, God is Lord of the lions’ mouths.There are God’s people who “by faith” “shut the mouths of lions…escaped from the edge of the sword” (Heb 11:33-34). But there are “others” who are no less “by faith”, are “put to death with the sword” (Heb 11:37). By the same faith, one escapes from “the sword” and another is killed by “the sword”. We must be bifocal in faith: By faith, we escape from the sword, and by faith, we are killed by the sword. The object of faith is not faith itself. It is God, who is Lord of the sword, in whichever way we may experience the sword.