Daniel and Di Lions

One heavy stone dey drag enter im place. Then darkness. Somewhere near, something big dey make low noise, e dey breathe. And one old man, alone, inside pit wey full with lions.

Babylon don fall. New empire dey rule now, and King Darius don arrange im big kingdom under one hundred and twenty governors, with three senior officials over dem. One of di three na Daniel. E don old by now. Dem carry am comot from Jerusalem when e still be teenager, many years ago, and e don dey serve foreign kings since dat time. E honest. E sabi im work well-well. And di king dey think to put am in charge of di whole kingdom. Dat one no sweet some people belle at all.

Di oda officials begin find dirty tin wey dem fit use against Daniel. Dem check im accounts. Im decisions. Im habits. Nothing. No bribe, no carelessness. So dem try anoda way. “We no go ever catch am,” dem talk, “unless na something wey concern di law of im God.” Dem go meet di king together, smile full dia face. “King Darius, make you live forever! All of us don agree. For thirty days, make nobody pray to any god or any person except you. Anybody wey do am, dem go throw am give lions.” Na sweet mouth wey dem dress like government policy. Darius sign am. And law of di Medes and Persians, once dem sign am, nobody fit change am.

Daniel hear about di new law. E know exactly wetin e mean. E go house and climb go im room for upstairs, where di windows open face Jerusalem. And e do wetin e don always dey do. E kneel down. Three times every day, e pray and give thanks to im God, just like before. E no hide. E no also dey show off. E just refuse to stop. Di men dey watch. Dem catch am as e dey pray, and dem rush go meet di king.

When Darius hear, e pain am well-well. E understand say dem don play am. Di whole day, until sun go down, e dey find way to save Daniel. No way dey. Law na law. So dem bring Daniel come di den. For di edge, di king tell am, “Your God, wey you dey serve every time, go rescue you.” Dem roll one stone close di mouth of di den, and di king seal am with im own ring. Then e go back to palace. E no gree chop. No music. No sleep.

As di first light of morning show, Darius run go di den. Im voice dey shake as e call down. “Daniel, servant of di living God! Your God, wey you dey serve every time, e fit save you from di lions?” And from inside di darkness, one calm voice answer. “O king, make you live forever. My God send im angel and e shut di lions mouth. Dem no wound me, because e find say I dey innocent for im front. And I no do you any wrong, O king.” Dem lift Daniel comot. No scratch for im body, because e trust im God. Di men wey plan evil against am face di same tin wey dem plan for am. And Darius write give every nation for im kingdom: Daniel God na di living God, wey dey rescue and save.

See one small detail wey person fit miss. Daniel pray with im windows open face Jerusalem. By dat time, di temple for there don scatter finish. But hundreds of years before, when dem dedicate di temple, King Solomon pray say if dem ever carry God people go foreign land, and dem pray face dia land, dia city and dat house, make God hear dem from heaven. Hundreds of miles away, Daniel dey hold Solomon prayer as true word.

Daniel and di lions. You go find am for Daniel chapter 6. Daniel no go find trouble, and e no also hide from am. E just continue to do, quietly, wetin e don always dey do. So see one tin to think about. Which one good habit you go keep, even if e go cost you something?