Faith of the Faithless

So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” - Daniel 6:16

     As I've studied the life of Daniel the Lord has convicted me, challenged me, and humbled me. Daniel was such an amazing servant of God! His faith in God and his faithfulness to God present an example for any Christian to follow. But what about King Darius? I don't usually think much about the king since I am so busy looking at Daniel's life. I'm not completely sure of Darius' spiritual status throughout this chapter. He doesn't seem to worship the Lord or claim to be a Christian. The end of chapter six finds him making a decree to follow Jehovah. The language used in the decree seems representative of a possible faith in God, but we still don't have any real proof. Regardless of his beliefs and spiritual condition, today's verse shows that he had faith in God's ability to rescue Daniel. This is the point I want to emphasize today. The faith of the faithless. Sounds backwards and confusing, I know, but there is a powerful lesson here. So often I become complacent and apathetic. I presume upon God's goodness and forget about His true nature. Unfortunately I think many unbelievers often have a better view of God than Christians. Even when the unsaved are mocking us, they often show what they expect our God to do. Do I expect Him to do the same things? I am reminded of those who mocked Jesus on the cross. They said that if He really was God that He would come down from the cross and save Himself. Were the disciples expecting Him to come down? They were focused on their errant ideas for the Messiah, and were busy weeping and thinking all hope was lost. Perhaps the mockers understood the Savior's true abilities more than His disciples at this moment. I know in my life I have students make simple comments like, "Couldn't God just do..." Fill in the blank with whatever miraculous action you choose. Most of my students aren't Christians, but they have learned enough to know that the God I teach them about is able to do what He wills. Unfortunately I think I forget this fact too often. I'm busy complaining or whining or deciding what God cannot do. It is humbling to think that even people who curse the name of God may often expect greater things from Him than I do. Sure, they may not have any real "faith" in the Lord, but they have realistic expectations of the Creator of the universe. Why do I limit God? Why do I put Him into a neat little box? Why do I refuse to expect amazing things from Him? Even King Darius knew that God was able to save Daniel from the lions. I wonder how many of Daniel's fellow captives truly believed that God was able to shut the lion's mouths. The faith of the faithless is a humbling thing, but it is also a powerful reminder. A reminder that I serve a God Who is so mighty that even the lost know of His strength!