“Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” — Daniel 2:17-19
The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him,[1] but he reveals it only after we labor together in prayer. When Daniel’s faith was being tested he went to his friends — not to a priest, not a philosopher, not a wine bottle. He went to his godly friends and asked them to seek the Lord’s help to deliver them from unreasonable and wicked men.[2] I believe that Daniel wasn’t stalling for effect or attempting to delay the inevitable when he asked the king for time, I believe he was fully assured that the Lord would deliver him or he would not have asked for time at all. Nevertheless, we should note how he sought the support of godly friends rather than isolating himself and wrestling with God in prayer alone. Even in the midst of affliction and captivity, God providently placed three other god-fearing men in Daniel’s life because it is one of his means of grace. We are the sheep of his pasture[3], and sheep are not solitary creatures, they belong in flocks. God setteth the solitary in families.[4]
Sure enough the Lord was pleased to deliver a great miracle for Daniel through their patience and faith in prayer. As Paul wrote to the Philippian church from prison, “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ…” we should be confident that our brethren’s prayers for us will avail much[5].
“The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” — Psalm 34:17
[5] James 5:16
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