Here I am finishing my notes for Sunday night's sermon. The wonder of Daniel in this chapter is not merely that his enemies can only resort to using Daniel's faithfulness as a tool to trap him. An added wonder is that the King has hope for Daniel because he knows that Daniel is a man of God.

The king tosses Daniel into the lion's den saying, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you" (Daniel 6:16). The next morning the king returns to the den with a faint hope,"Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?" (Daniel 6:20).

Do our lost friends/co-workers have some kind of hope solid enough to consider it even a slim possibility that our God will carry us through the trials of life? Do they express the wish that Jesus will make a difference on our behalf because they know from experience that we serve Him continually, faithfully, and lovingly?

Or when we face the trials of life will our friends/co-workers offer the well-intentioned platitudes that "time heals all wounds" and "I'm thinking of you" but nothing else because they have no idea we know Jesus, much less serve Him?"

May the testimony of the lost world around us be such that they count on Jesus to carry us through the storms of life.