Daniel in the Lion's Den

I started reading the Bible with my grandma every night. We started reading the book of Daniel together. We both really enjoyed the journey into the life of the Prophet Daniel, his relationship with God, and the trials and tribulations he faced.

We read up to the climax of the story where Daniel is thrown into the lion's den because of the trickery of his malicious colleagues, and the readers are left on the edge of their seats.

And then, the moment of triumph:

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” ~ Daniel 6:19-22

That night after reading the story, as I lay on my bed, I was left awe-inspired by God's protection and deliverance over His faithful.

The idea was in my head for a while, but that was when I decided to test my faith like Daniel by going to a nearby Mosque that Friday.

Just for some context: Christians and Muslims have long been divided as polar opposite religions. In some parts of the world, that tension can be downright murderous and vicious. Even in countries where we keep the peace, we definitely do not visit each others places of worship. There is a silent understanding that we are not on the same side.

So, in my eyes, that was the lion's den. Not because I think that all Muslims are viscious lions (I grew up in Singapore where the majority of Muslims are peace-loving people), but because the environment is potentially dicey due to our long history of religious and cultural differences.

As I drive towards the mosque, I am praying quite desperately.

"Dear God, would you keep me safe like Daniel".

My plan is a little bit absurd as well. Me, a lone Christian, rocking up at the doorstep at the Mosque? And I was expecting things to go well?

I could get the door slammed in my face. I could be treated like a spy or a tresspasser.

But like Daniel, I'm trusting God to shut the mouths of the lions.

I arrive at their carpark. It is very quiet.

Next to the carpark is a small brick building.

Since there seems to be no one there, I hang outside the building for a while, shuffling my feet and wandering about.

"Maybe I should leave," I think to myself.

And then, suddenly, a car pulls up. A tall man steps out. He's wearing a deep purple robe with golden embrodery.

He notices me.

"Hello!" he greets me.

"Hi! Is this the mosque? I'm a Christian but I just wanted to talk to someone about faith," I awkardly explain.

"Yes! You are welcomed. There's no need to be afraid. We have more in common than we have differences," he puts his hand on my shoulder. A warm and comforting gesture.

I immediatly feel at ease, and we walk towards the brick building together.

I step inside the Mosque. The atmosphere is calm. I am surprised at just how empty everything is. Just one table at the back of the building with a few shelves.

But other than that not much else. Just a number of intricately woven prayer mats on the floor and the daylight streaming in from the stained-glass windows. And three plastic chairs.

My new friend is explaining to me some of the tradition and the terminologies of Islam.

"Muslims gather on Friday, Jews on Saturdays and Christians on Sundays...." he carries on.

"... and you can also choose to sit on this chair, or you can sit on the mat." he tells me.

"I don't like what sitting on the chair subtly communicates. It makes me look proud, like I'm looking down on them. Which I am not," I think to myself.

I sit on the mat.

"Is it okay if I pray to my God instead?" I ask him.

"Yes," he replies, to my surprise. "You're allowed to pray quietly. You know, in the past, Muslims, Christians and Jews used to pray together in the same place."

I pray on the mat, bowing my face to the ground.

I know the standard Christian way to pray is hands clasped together, head bowed and eyes closed - but I have no issues praying in this manner.

Actually, when I first realized that God was real for the first time, that's exactly how I worshipped Him. On all fours, with my face flat on the ground in Holy fear. And actually, that's probably similar to how Daniel prayed too!

Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. ~ Daniel 6:10

I really appreciate the silence of the Mosque and the calm atmosphere. At home, where there are many distractions from social media, family affairs and other errands, I find this moment to be an excellent chance to draw near to God in my heart through prayer.

While we had prayers, to my surprise, there was even a sermon in-between.

So as the sermon began, I tried my best to listen intently. I couldn't understand a lot of it because it was in Arabic.

But I heard the teacher say this:

"Remember to give generously, because all that we have is from God."

It is moments like these that never fails to amaze me at how similar many of the world religions are to one another. This teaching on generosity is similar to what we are taught as Christians from the scriptures.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ~ Genesis 1:1

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. ~ Proverbs 3:9

And as a true believer in God, I believe that these are objective truths about the Creator that is in alignment with reality. All that we have is from Him. And He does expect us to be generous with what we have.

When the sermon ends, there is a final call to prayer. The last prayer is characterized by the congregation standing shoulder to shoulder with one another. I choose not to participate in this last call to prayer because I do not want to be deceptive. I do not want to mislead the people there to believe that I am part of the Islamic brotherhood, when I am not.

I am part of the Christian brotherhood.

I also want to keep a clean conscience and do what is pleasing to God in His sight, as I do believe He is watching me and my every move. His eyes are on me.

The Friday prayers officially end. The congregation arises and migrates to the back of the room, where refreshments are available on the small table.

I grab a juice box and eat an apple. Everyone is friendly and chatting, but most seem to be in a hurry to rush off - probably because of work and family committments.

I am courteously escorted out and I wave them goodbye as I enter my car.

As I am leaving the Mosque, I feel a mix of emotions. My heart is glad but also burdened.

I am glad because I believe that Muslims actually know a lot of truths about God. They are a lovely and hospitable people. They have families and jobs. They are mothers, fathers and children. And even from a cultural standpoint, I admire them immensely. I love the modesty of the head-covering Hijabs on their women, the beauty of their cultural clothing and even the simplicity of the prayer mats.

But my heart is burdened because the sad truth is that they are missing a piece of the puzzle. And although this piece may seem small, it is utterly essential. It is undeniably rooted in reality and therefore cannot be denied.

The piece of the puzzle is knowing who Jesus truly is.

There is a particular account of Yeshua Hamashiach ("Jesus the Messiah" in Hebrew) in the Gospel of John that really touches my heart.

It is the account of Yeshua meeting with a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob.

The history and relationship between Jews and Samaritans was an interesting one. The Jews accepted the whole of the Hebrew scriptures, whereas the Samaritans only accepted the first five books of the law of Moses. The Jews worshipped God in the Temple, but the Samaritans worshipped God on Mount Gerezim. There was a lot of animosity between these two groups.

Yet, they had many similarities. Both groups worshipped the God of Abraham and both groups believed in a coming Messiah.

I cannot help but see parellels between Christians and Muslims.

Both Christians and Muslims have a lot in common. Both religions are monotheistic. Both are expecting a returning Jesus.

Yet, we have differences. Christians believe that the Hebrew scriptures, the Gospels and the Epistles are the final revelation of God. Muslims would agree that the Hebrew scriptures and the Gospels are from God, but believe that Muhammad gave the last and final revelation of God in the Quran. Muslims believe Jesus is simply a prophet of Allah and no more. Christians believe that Jesus, though He was the Prophet, was also more than just that. That He is truly God and the Son of God.

Christians believe that Jesus died on the Cross for the atonement of our sins and was raised from the dead, while Muslims believe that Jesus never died at all.

So when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob, there was already a lot of cultural and religious tension behind the interaction. The following events that would take place is extremely fascinating.

Click here to read about it.

If you read the passage, you can see how Jesus loved her. How He offered her Living Water: a symbol for eternal life, something only God can give. How He knew about her past. How He revealed to her that He is the Messiah (the Anointed One).

And how else did Jesus show His love for her? Jesus corrected the Samaritan woman who was incorrect about her understanding of salvation.

You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. ~ John 4:22

EVEN though she was so close to the Truth (as a Samaritan).

I would echo a similar sentiment to my Muslim friends, as my final conclusion to this blog:

I love you all. But you Muslims worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation comes from Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews. His Name, Yeshua, means "Yahweh is Salvation".

Here is the last section of the Gospel of Mark when Jesus reveals His true identity at the trial right before His crucifixion:

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?"

They all condemned him as worthy of death. ~ Mark 14:61-64