^“The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.” — Daniel 6:23

Do you need a miracle?

Daniel did. In the sixth chapter of the book of Daniel, we read about the famous episode of Daniel in the lions’ den. But first let’s back up and understand how he got there in the first place.

As Daniel had predicted, the Babylonian empire fell into the hands of the Persians. The new king liked Daniel and he was planning to appoint him as ruler over the entire kingdom. This made all the other officials very jealous, and so they plotted Daniel’s downfall. The only problem was they couldn’t find any dirt on Daniel! It’s not easy to bring down such a righteous and faithful man. So they had to be sneaky.

The officers suggested that – as a tribute to the king’s newly established kingship – the entire kingdom be commanded to pray only to him. The penalty would be a cruel and painful death meted out in a lions’ den. The king gave his approval.

What does Daniel do? He continued to do what he had done every day of his life. He put his faith in God and prayed for His help. The men who were planning Daniel’s downfall expected nothing less. They were quick to catch him and bring him before the king in order to be punished. The king is distraught but his hands were tied. A king’s decree could not be revoked.

That’s how Daniel found himself in the lions’ den in need of a great miracle. And he got one. At the crack of dawn, the king ran to check the fate of his dearest adviser. Miraculously, Daniel was alive. When the king got to the lions’ den, he called out, “Daniel . . . has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” To which, Daniel replied, “My God sent His angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me” (6:20, 22).

Here’s the kicker:  By what merit did Daniel receive such a great miracle? Scripture tells us, “because he had trusted in his God.”

Centuries earlier, when the children of Israel were taken out of Egypt, they were on an extremely low spiritual level. But God does incredible miracles for them anyway. Can you guess why? It’s because they had faith.

Faith in God is the key that opens the door to miracles. Even if you may not have been the most perfect person, God’s intervention is available to you anyway. The power of faith is so great that it can overpower our previous shortcomings. So never despair. If God can turn a fierce lion into a gentle kitten for Daniel, imagine what’s possible for you.