Daniel 6:13-14, "Then they said to the king, "Daniel... pays no attention to you... or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day." When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him." Proverbs 3:34, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Think

Upon discovering that he'd been played for a fool and unable to reverse Daniel's death sentence, Darius was utterly humiliated. Gouged by guilt, his humiliation gave way to desperation as he tried everything he could to spare Daniel's life. Finally, as Daniel approached the lion's den, the king cried, "May your God rescue you!" Then, after a sleepless night, he returned to find Daniel's life spared and He referred to God as the "living God." In other words, he found faith in the midst of his humiliation. His desperation gave way to celebration as he gave thanks and praised the one true living God. Humiliation hurts deeply. No matter how much time has passed, our memories can immediately take us back to a moment of humiliation that was wrought with shame. But God never wastes our pain! God works through our humiliation to reveal to us who we actually are, sinners in need of a Savior. In his pride, Darius did the wrong thing. But eventually, humbled by humiliation, Darius gained perspective and positioned himself to be used by God. God wants to do the same through us. By borrowing pain from our past, we are less likely to repeat the same mistake in the future. And if we remain humble, we too can be positioned for greatness!

Act

Think about a time in your past when your pride resulted in humiliation. As you move forward today, use that pain from the past to help you turn from pride and gain a godly perspective in the present and the future!

Pray

Father God, Thank You for working through my humiliation and shame to draw me closer to You. Convict my heart the moment pride starts seeping in, and help me to imitate Christ's humility as I seek opportunities to serve others to bring glory to Your name.