Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously (Daniel 6:10).

Daniel knew of the decree! He knew that to pray to God would get him thrown into the lion's den. Yet, he did not cease praying to God and giving thanks to God. 

Daniel understood the reason for his life. It was to be lived for the Lord. Jesus taught,

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life (John 12:25).

Have you heard about the recent massacre at a Nairobi mall? 62 were killed and 175 were injured. Consider this (full article):

The Associated Press reports:

As the attack began shortly after noon Saturday, the al-Qaida-linked gunmen asked the victims they had cornered if they were Muslim: Those who answered yes were free to go, several witnesses said. The non-Muslims were not.

A witness told The Observer how he survived:

Covering the Christian name on his ID with his thumb he approached one of the attackers, whom he described as Somali, and showed them the plastic card. "They told me to go. Then an Indian man came forward and they said, 'What is the name of Muhammad's mother?' When he couldn't answer they just shot him."

Christianity Today recently reported how al Shabaab has been recruiting ex-Christians to attack Kenyan churches.

This witness hid his Christian identity so that he might live. I'm not blaming him, because I am sure that he was scared for his life. But this very recent example demonstrates that we are not so far removed from Jesus' words. I am reminded of the faithful martyrs, who triumphed over the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Then we are told,

They did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death (Revelation 12:11).

Friends, what will our testimony be? Have we honored the Lord and His word? Jesus said,

Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26).

Daniel 4-5
Chapter 4; the end
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
Chapter 5
King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.... That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

So Daniel's book starts with him being a young man at the end of chapter 4. 1-inch later, on my phone where I read my bible, we have Daniel speaking to Belshazzar, then Belshazzar's death.

We extol Daniel and his brothers as being prophets and steadfast. A life of miracles, but they lived, as if the miracles were secondary and not expected. They walked in obedience and were used by God at the beginning of their lives and at the end - what reliable instruments. They didn't have God whispering promises or speaking to them all the time. They told the king things like 'even if God doesn't we will not...'; or even when Daniel asked for an audience before the king before getting word from God that an interpretation of the dream would come! They lived by faith not by signs, feelings, or ‘sight’.

Obedience opens the door to so much.

So what has happened in this 1-inch of reading space?

Near 600 BC Nebuchadnezzar, takes Jerusalem and Daniel.
562 Nebuchadnezzar dies and Amel-Murdok, his son, reigns.
560 Amel-Murdok is killed by Nergal-Sherezer his brother in law
556 Nergal-Sherezer dies and Labish Marduk takes over. But is quickly overthrown and Nebodnidus is chosen to rule.
553 Nebodnidus leaves the kingdom and appoints Belshazzar as co-regent.

During this time Daneil receives more visions, in the latter parts of the Book of Daniel.

540 Nebodinus returns to fight Cyrus
539 Nebodinus loses the Battle of Opis; 2 days later Babylon falls. Cyrus Reigns.

So this 1-inch space represents 6 kings that have passed by Daniel! But what happened to Nebuchadnezzar was known to Bleshazzar, says Daniel. Which means it was passed to him king to king... Or Belshazzar was old enough to hear of the account first hand. Either way, consider all the Daniel has seen.

FYI, he mentions ‘Darius’ receives the kingdom. He didn't say Cyrus. Darius I was later.

530 BC Cyrus dies in battle
522 Bardiya reigns and dies
522 Darius I reigns

"Darius the Mede" though does not refer to Darius I. But Cyaxares II:

"Cyaxares II followed king Astyages to the throne of the Mede Empire, and was also brother of Mandane, Cyrus the Great's mother. Cyrus is described as cooperating with his uncle, Cyaxares, in order to conquer Babylon in 539 BC. However Cyaxares was by then an old man ("62" as mentioned by Daniel), and because Cyrus was in command of the campaign, the army came to regard Cyrus as king. Cyrus thus received not only the king's daughter (his first cousin), but his kingdom, as dowry, and the aged Cyaxares became Cyrus' viceroy in Babylon for two years until his death, when Cyrus seized that kingdom as well."

It seems during these times name were twisted and seemingly no correlation. And even after all these events, the reputation that is worth more than gold, pay off for Daniel materially. His reputation before Nebuchadnezzar, stretch to Darius and Cyrus.  A line in Chapter 6 ties nicely the name of Darius the Mede to Cyaxares II.

Chapter 6:28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.

Here are two ancient world leaders, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and Darius of the Medo-Persians, who acknowledged God's sovereign glory! And they did so as a result of God's power through Daniel's unassuming and faithful witness. 

Notice that in both these accounts Daniel distinguished himself in two ways. First, he maintained an unwavering faithfulness to God. Second, he excelled in whatever job he was assigned.

Now, I'm sure Daniel did not appreciate being named after a pagan god, as Nebuchadnezzar did to him. I'm sure Daniel wished he could just tell both kings to get rid of all the idols and humble themselves before the one true God, but unlike the prophets of Israel, he was not among god-fearing kings. Daniel's witness to these kings came first indirectly, in meeting a felt need, and then directly through the message of God.

Friends, there are times for us to speak boldly and directly and other times when we ought to take an indirect approach. The Bible generally condones a bold and direct approach with believers, whether in the Old Testament or in the New Testament. However, with unbelievers, the Bible often instructs and encourages an unassuming, godly testimony that leads to a more vocal and direct witness as God opens people's hearts.

Daniel was in a foreign land and before great kings, who had little motivation to fear Israel's God. But Daniel so distinguished himself in loyalty, responsibility, and effectiveness, he was noticed by these great kings. When God supplied the opportunity, Daniel served as a bold and faithful witness for God before these kings, so that they ultimately humbled themselves and acknowledged the LORD as their sovereign.

Friends, among believers we ought not to have hidden agendas, nor play political games, gathering supporters around ourselves, or use strategem to gain advantage against one another. We ought to take a bold and direct approach toward one another, with the common ground of the Word of God as both the standard and guide. If there is sin, while confrontation should start private and personal, it should, nevertheless, be bold and direct. And our object should always be love and restoration.

But when among unbelievers, there will probably be more occasions for an indirect approach rather than a direct one. The New Testament repeatedly calls us to be a living witness, an exceptional example among unbelievers. So Peter writes,

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:12).

Peter goes into even more detail in the following verses, urging believers to submit to secular leaders, submitting to the laws of the land, showing respect to everyone, all the while fearing and obeying God:

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor (1 Peter 2:13-17).

Again, Peter gives further instructions on how Christians should behave toward unbelievers. They should exercise good behavior and respect in good conscience and always be ready to share the Gospel of their salvation:

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (1 Peter 3:16-17).

How awful would it be if God gives you an opportunity and you have nothing to say! We must all "be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have." Let us be prepared to answer clearly, boldly and with conviction. 

Friends, Daniel prophesies through two great kingdoms (Babylon and Medo-Persia) and at least four kings (Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus). He remained faithful to God and was above reproach in every matter that did not conflict with His worship of God. And God gave him great visions and deliverances. In this way God used him to gain praise from at least three of these four kings.

What a testimony this is for us! When Daniel's enemies tried to find some pretense to accuse Daniel before the king, they found none: "They could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him "(Daniel 6:4). He was not negligent in any of his responsibilities. There was no cheating, lying or corruption in him. He was faithful. We read in 1 Corinthians 4:2. "Now it is required of those who have been given a trust to be faithful."

Friends, you and I have been given a trust. To be salt and light to this world; that is, to be a stark contrast of righteousness against the backdrop of a godless, wicked and selfish world system. Again, we read in 1 Peter 2:12, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." Like Daniel we need to be people who are above reproach so that our life testimony does not take away from the message of Christ.

What does this mean? If you would indulge me... It means not being lazy, irresponsible or clock-watching in our work. It means doing everything to excellence. It means not being late to meetings, appointments and church. It means not abusing our bodies with excessive eating, drinking, smoking and illicit habits. It means being generous in tipping and giving. It means staying fit and dressing cleanly. It means not allowing work and personal pastimes to subsume responsible time and concern for the spouse and family. And these things are just basic things to maintain a kind of reputation in the world that does not mar our Christian testimony.

Beyond this, as Christians we ought to be daily in God's word and prayer. We ought also to be meditating on and memorizing God's Word, so that it becomes an integral part of our thinking and behavior. We should not only invite friends that can repay but especially friends that cannot repay to our homes and to meals. We should find out our gifts and exercise them in the primary calling of all Christians in this life, namely, to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We should be deliberately modeling and teaching our spouses and children in the ways of the Lord. We should serve the body of Christ in keeping with our gifts and with respect to the needs of the church. And we should always maintain humility and concentrate on holiness in life, clearing our lives of every thought, word, habit or interest that is displeasing to God.