Many years went by in Babylon, and Daniel grew to be an old man. King Nebuchadnezzar, who came to believe in Daniel's God, died after he had ruled for forty years. While he was king, Daniel was given a great deal of power in the kingdom. He was always faithful and did his work well.
And always Daniel was true first of all to God. He remembered the prayer that Solomon had prayed when their beautiful temple was dedicated, 1 Kings 8:46-53. In it he had asked God to look upon His people when they were in captivity if they should repent and pray toward Jerusalem. All the years Daniel had been in Babylon he prayed three times a day, morning, noon and night, kneeling at his open window with his face turned toward Jerusalem.
Finally the grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar became king. He knew that his grandfather had come to trust in the living God, but it made no difference to him. He kept on worshiping his idols.
About this time another nation was becoming very strong. Away over in Persia, far east of Babylon, a king by the name of Cyrus with his army was conquering every country just as Nebuchadnezzar had done years before. God was allowing this so that his purpose could be worked out for His people. Their armies had taken much of country of Babylon and marched against the city itself.
However, they could not conquer it because of its great strong walls. They were built three hundred feet high with one hundred gates scattered around the city. The soldiers could not break down these walls, and they could not climb over them. They pitched their tents outside the city walls and camped there. The young people and the king were not afraid. They thought that King Cyrus and his men would not get into the city, and they felt perfectly safe.
This young king did not come to Daniel for counsel and help as his grandfather had done. Instead he took some of the power away from him. But Daniel kept on praying and trusting God.
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