Christian Devotional – May 28, 2026

Leading Through Challenging Circumstances, Day 6

Slow down. Read Daniel 2:14-16.

According to researchers, when we make decisions quickly, we actually think much less about them. And while that would sound intuitive, because making a decision quickly means that we would have spent less time on it, what it actually means is that our decisions are made with less thought, and therefore less critical problem-solving and understanding of a situation. When we make a decision quickly, we are generally making more of an emotional decision and less of a thoughtful decision.

Emotional decisions, while they may feel a certain way, are not always based on rational choice. As Daniel is learning what the king is requesting and why the king is so upset, he doesn’t go to the king and tell him the answer. Daniel goes to the king and asks for more time. Daniel seeks to slow things down. This allows Daniel the opportunity to actually address the issue instead of having an emotional whining reaction, or a blind obedience type of reaction. Daniel wants to understand the situation. He asks for more time.

Throughout this entire book, we see phrases used to indicate Daniel used tact or that Daniel was wise in a situation. One of the greatest qualities that Daniel utilizes is his desire to understand and analyze the situation. Daniel takes the opportunity to request more time. We’ll see how he uses the time in the next few verses, but just taking that step to take more time is a huge step forward and a great way to address an emotional situation.

We need more time so that we can transition into a more thoughtful response instead of just a reactionary response. When we get into stressful situations, do we calmly request time to analyze and understand the situation before being forced to move forward with a decision?

Watch the video devotional here: https://youtu.be/_qXxshV2l6Y