In that dark grave, I repeated the words of Moses expressed in the Psalms book:

– My Lord, in Him I will trust. A thousand may fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it shall not come near myself. No evil shall befall me, for He shall give His angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways. I shall call upon Him, and He will answer me, He will be with me in trouble, deliver me, honor me, with long life He will satisfy me, and show me Your salvation.

The darkness was broken by the characteristic scent of felines and your steps around me. Sometimes one of them brushed my body. The smallest insisted more, as if they requested affection from me. And I did it. Upon realizing the comfort of these, others also approached. I didn’t see them, but they probably not only saw me, just as they felt my presence through super refined smell. 

I knew that, in the depth of total darkness of that, the angel sent by the Lord was present. He shut the beasts’ mouths and He had protected me from his sharp claws. Therefore, I started an attempt at dialogue with him. Muteness. I didn’t even hear the Lord’s voice. But I knew that He had given an answer. The fact of being alive was sublime proof of His attention. I wasn’t helpless. Once in the while the silence was broken by some lions sketching a roar. Maybe it was a conversation between them. Such as the donkey of Balaam, I was sure that they saw the angel with the sword and preferred to choose passivity.

It was dawn. No light, I couldn’t know how much time still for dawn remained. I was thrown there in the afternoon yesterday. Initially, the thoughts troubled me until I regained the nervousness and recalled a previous case, in which my friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah received the death sentence in the furnace for refusing to worship the golden image of king Nebuchadnezzar. I haven’t formed an idea yet about what would be worse: the fire or the teeth and the claws of lions. Truth be told: in both events the Lord honored His children when revealing unimaginable power, the proof Whose really dominates the heavens, the Earth and Their creatures. The Lord saved my friends from becoming ashes and now He protected me from the powerful feline jaws. The feared king of animals didn’t have powers over the masterpiece of creation, shielded by the King of the Universe. At the enemy of the Creator, two blunt defeats were applied.

I have no idea how it happened, but I dozed off, confident in Solomonic proverbs: “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.” I dreamed that it was on very green grass, near Jerusalem’s walls. I looked back and a knight approached, leading a little lion alongside. Your serene face transmitted me peace. Suddenly, a smash forced me to turn my face and witness the collapse of a part of the walls. I woke up startled. The mix of events that day turned into a nightmare. Total silence reigned. It was strange, because the lions are night hunters and should be wide-awakes. This proved the miracle of the Lord again. He didn’t even consent to the discomfort of the lions before with my tiredness. Until then I didn’t observe a light beam there, about forty cubits. I got up, trying not to step on any puss. I sneaked through the wall to that place. There was a small opening by the ceiling, much more than elevated my height, in which one could contemplate the Babylon starry sky through the four iron bars.

– When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? You have made me a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned me with glory and honor. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.

I took advantage of this quiet corner to settle down, turn my eyes for that crack and to meditate on the previous stories. Two lion cubs snuggled up between my legs. While I stroked the back coat, satisfied, they fell asleep. The most ferocious animals really feel the need for displays of affection on the part of humans. They’re revealing manifestations of a previous world, modified by sin action. More than before certainty was born the Lord’s purpose for my life. I didn’t know what exactly that moment He required of me. It was up to me to place total trust in Him and wait for the facts. Joseph and Moses had also served the Lord in adverse conditions. Supernatural prodigies of the Lord showed in their lives. My route and of my faithful companions haven’t been demonstrated in many different ways. Wonderful operations of the Lord clarified Their goals. In no time we consider moving away from His paths. His Word accompanied us, recorded in our hearts. Solomon wrote: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

I was here due to the envy of ruthless and idolaters, unaware of Divine care and the consequences of harming Their children. Nebuchadnezzar witnessed this when ordered my friends to be thrown into the furnace. But he already knew the power of the Lord. His attitude was an offense against the Lord. The army high command summoned the stronger soldiers to arrest, string and throw them into the fire. While Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah remained unharmed, the flames devoured supposed Babylonian heroes. One shouldn’t mock the Lord when accusing Their children using lies, defamations, slanders, when closing them in dungeons, when leading them to judgments theatricals, when premeditate their death, when harm them in business, when ridicule them for the fact they put confidence in the Creator. I wavered all night between naps and deep thoughts about the human condition. The end of dawn was approaching when I fell asleep for the last time.

The first sunbeams penetrated the den by the top opening when I woke up. Then, I heard a familiar voice calling me. Yes of course! It was the king Darius asking me if the Lord had got rid of the lions. That moment I understood what He intended with this misfortune. It was necessary to testify to the regent the powerful action of the Lord in the life of one of His children. I knelt down humbly and I thanked Him again for the privilege of being able to share His love with the people of my influence.

Ruben Dargã Holdorf, Comm.Se.D