Like Daniel, we hear (and read), but often do not understand. With him we ask, My Lord, what will the outcome of all this be? 

Despotic rulers may do as they please, they may acquire great wealth and power; but they will all come to an end.

He is God, and though he is constantly adapting himself to our weakness, he calls us to follow his agenda, rather than him following ours.

Have you ever had a promise from somebody, and you have waited so expectantly for the thing promised: a special present, a new relationship, a new job opportunity?

When we look at the brutal, authoritarian regimes which are persecuting Christians today, whether it is ISIL in Iraq, Syria and Libya, or Kim Jong-Un in North Korea, we do not need to fear or lose our confidence.

When I was a teenager in the 1960s I remember the widespread fear that communism would take over the world through the empire of the Soviet Union, which seemed so impregnable in its hostility to Christian faith. Yet in my own lifetime I have witnessed its collapse and disappearance.

God is constantly communicating with us. Are we ready to hear from him in any and every circumstance?

In this chapter we find Daniel an old man, probably in his 80s; but we find him as fervent as ever in his commitment to the Lord. What was his secret?

We recently moved house and a couple of apple trees in our garden bore good fruit this year but they had not been pruned for a long time. So a tree surgeon came and cut them right back. He told us that they may well not bear fruit in the next two years; but his pruning will give them 25 more years of fruitfulness. Times of pruning are necessary, but hard.

Are we genuinely interested in seeing the person restored to a correct path, or are we taking the opportunity to put him or her down?

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were delivered from the king’s anger in a miraculous way, as are many Christians today. But thousands each year die for their faith, many more languish in prisons, are tortured, deprived of job and educational opportunities. This world is not worthy of them (Hebrews 11:38).

Have you asked God which leaders in your country or your continent you should pray for? I am challenging myself as I write these words. The answer we receive may be surprising to us. And do you have confidence that your prayers will make a difference for those leaders?

Sometimes there is something we can do to get out of an uncomfortable situation. But often there is no easy way out, as in the case of, for example, bereavement, financial difficulties or relationship problems. Daniel found himself in precisely one of those no-way-out situations.