Highly Regarded

            The story of Daniel is known by many. Most Christians are familiar with the story of how God closes the mouths of hungry lions and saves his life. We are also familiar with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and the fiery furnace. In both stories, the lives of these friends are challenged. Their faith is turned against them and their lives are threatened. Still, they continued to believe and in the end, God came through.

               What I want to focus on is Daniel. In the book of Daniel, it says (multiple times) that he was “highly regarded by God.” I don’t know about you but that impressed me. To be regarded is to be thought of highly, to be respected, revered. That in and of itself can be hard to achieve in the world we live in. The fact that God thought that about him is awe-inspiring and challenging. How do you become highly regarded by God?

               The book of Daniel tells you how. Daniel 10:12 says “Do not be afraid, Daniel. From the very first day that you began to pursue understanding and humble yourself before your God, your words have been heard.” He pursued understanding. He pursued a relationship with God. He offered himself up as a living sacrifice to be used for God. He was unashamed of what he believed.

               He prayed often. Daniel 6:10 says he prayed three times a day. He did it consistently, every day. It wasn’t just praying either. He praised God in that time. He asked for help from the one who could give it. Because of his rank, he had a lot of power. People, including the king, looked up to him. Instead of seeking more power or letting it get to his head, he went to God so he could use his power wisely and in a way that would bring glory to God. Yeah, it got him thrown to lions but God saved him. Because of Daniels faithfulness, God was faithful to Daniel.

               Another thing to consider is that we are already highly regarded by God. He sent His one and only son to die for us. The bible says we are “seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6),” “forgiven (1 John 2:12 among so many others),” “loved (1 John 4:10, among others),” and so much more. We are called by God, made new, made righteous. We are highly regarded by God.

               However, as Christians, we should pray and praise. We need to prove ourselves worthy of the love bestowed on us, not to society but to God. He died to prove Himself to you. Daniel died to prove himself to God. And I believe that’s what we should take away from his story.