Schemes Against the Faithful

6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.
Daniel 6:6-9
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Schemes Against the Faithful
In Daniel 6, the satraps and officials scheme to trap Daniel, not because of wrongdoing, but because of his faithfulness. Knowing he serves his God above all, they manipulate the king into signing a decree that will make prayer to anyone but the king punishable by death. The world still schemes against those who live by faith. It resents the steadfastness of those who serve the Lord above all earthly powers. But like Daniel, we don’t stand by our own strength, we stand by grace. In Christ, the world’s schemes reached their height. False accusations, unjust judgments, and a sealed tomb tried to silence the Righteous One. But Jesus, like Daniel, was vindicated, raised from death, defeating every plot of the devil. When you face pressure for your faith, look to the cross. Your Redeemer stood firm for you. Now, nothing can separate you from God’s mercy, not even the schemes of kings.