thursday

"Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?"

[Daniel 6:19&20]

On Thursday morning at Island, there is a group of women who have joined together to study the book of Daniel. This week we found ourselves in an all too familiar story of Daniel in the lion's den. Of course there is much life to be found in the way that our Sovereign God chose to shut the mouths of lions and spare Daniel's life. But Thursday morning my spirit was pierced by the steadfast nature of Daniel's integrity and the holy habits that he had formed over his lifetime. While still surrounded by a pack of lions, Darius shouts down to Daniel and acknowledges the living God whom Daniel serves. I love that he calls to Daniel and accompanies this acknowledgment. He also included a key word when he spoke of his service: continually. Daniel didn't decide to turn to the Lord when he was being lowered in the lions den. His heart had met infinite love and as he lived and walked and loved in light of the Love he knew, he served continually. I pray that this feeble self can be found steadfast at the end of my days. Thursday afternoon yielded incredible time with the women on my team. We joined together to talk through what we've been learning lately, and take time to sync our hearts around truth for these days. The evening ended with lots of laughter and encouragement from precious cards that came to us all the way from Atlanta, GA.

[Annie & Ellie: thank you so much for your encouragement, you are both so thoughtful!]

As another week is bringing itself to a close, the days have seemed to pass so quickly, but they have been rich and I'm looking forward to surprises yet to unfold in the month of November.