Daniel in the Lions Den
On September 14, Pastor Dave closed out the Retold series with one of the most well-known stories in all of Scripture — Daniel in the lions’ den. But as he reminded the church, this story isn’t about Daniel’s strength. It’s about God’s faithfulness. “Daniel in the lions’ den is not about how brave Daniel was,” he said. “It’s about how faithful and unwavering God is.”
He began with humor, sharing a story about house-sitting for a friend with a massive, overexcited dog that bolted out the door and dragged him through a neighbor’s yard. “I thought, ‘This is it. This is how I go down — not in glory or dignity, but mauled in my neighbor’s backyard,’” he laughed. But then, with characteristic pastoral instinct, he used that moment to bridge into something deeper: “We all know what it’s like to face lions. They may not have fur and sharp teeth, but they leave the same pit-in-your-stomach feeling.”
He named them: the lions of fear and anxiety, the lions of grief that steal our joy, the lions of pressure in our work or families, and the lions of temptation — those private battles no one else sees. “Whatever your lions are,” he said, “you know what it feels like to be in the den.”
That’s where Daniel’s story meets us. Daniel was faithful, righteous, and obedient — and still ended up in the den. “Sometimes,” Pastor Dave said, “faithfulness doesn’t keep you from the fire or the lions. It carries you through them.”
Reading from Daniel 6, he reminded the congregation that Daniel was likely in his eighties when this happened — a man who had survived kings, empires, and exile, and yet was still steady, prayerful, and uncompromising. When a royal decree made prayer illegal, Daniel didn’t panic or hide. “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed,” the text says, “he went to his house, got down on his knees three times a day, and prayed to God as he had done previously.”
That phrase — “as he had done previously” — became a refrain throughout the message. “Daniel didn’t start praying because of the crisis,” Pastor Dave said. “He had already built that habit of faithfulness. The pressure didn’t create his faith — it revealed it.”
Then came the line that summed up the sermon’s core truth: “Faith that bends under pressure breaks, but faith that kneels under pressure stands.”
He invited the congregation to reflect: if prayer were outlawed tomorrow, would anyone even notice the difference in our lives? Would there be enough evidence to convict us of being followers of Jesus? “The world doesn’t need louder Christians,” he said. “It needs consistent ones — predictable faithfulness that keeps kneeling when the pressure rises.”
As the story turned darker, Pastor Dave walked through Daniel’s descent into the den. “The king liked Daniel,” he said, “but he was trapped in his own system. Even with all his power, he couldn’t save him.” The stone was rolled over the den, sealed with the king’s ring — a picture of finality and hopelessness.
“But,” he said, “the den isn’t proof of God’s absence. It’s the place where His presence shows up most.”
When dawn came, the king ran to the den and cried out, “Daniel, has your God been able to deliver you?” Then, from the darkness, Daniel’s voice echoed back: “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths.”
“That,” Pastor Dave said, “is the sound of hope. That’s the sound of resurrection.”
Daniel emerged without a single wound. “God doesn’t just help you scrape by,” Pastor Dave said. “He doesn’t just help you survive. He brings you out whole.” He paused, then added, “Some of us have scars — but in Christ, scars don’t mean you were defeated. Scars mean you were delivered. They’re proof the lions didn’t win.”
The king who couldn’t save Daniel became the preacher, declaring, “He is the living God, His kingdom shall never be destroyed.” “That’s how the gospel spreads,” Pastor Dave said. “Your faithfulness in the den can become someone else’s proclamation in the palace.”
He urged the church not to underestimate the quiet power of steady faith — the bedtime prayer with a child, the quiet integrity at work, the daily consistency that no one sees. “You may think those moments don’t matter,” he said, “but your faithfulness today can become someone else’s proclamation tomorrow.”
Finally, the message pointed to Jesus — the greater Daniel. “Daniel faced lions,” Pastor Dave said, “but Jesus faced death itself. Daniel’s stone was rolled over the den, but Jesus’ stone was rolled away from the tomb.” The story, he reminded, isn’t about self-help or courage. It’s about salvation.
“If God raised Jesus, then your den is never your destiny,” he said. “The stone is not the end. The lions don’t get the last word. The living God does.”
He closed with this invitation: “When you feel sealed in and the stone’s been rolled over, don’t give up. Look to the greater Daniel — Jesus Christ — who went into the den of death and came out alive. Because He walked out, you can too.”
The sermon ended where it began — with hope. “Faith that bends with pressure breaks. Faith that kneels under pressure stands. And because Jesus has been raised, your den isn’t your defeat. It’s the place where resurrection begins.”
