When
do you pray? Do you speak to the Lord every morning when you get up? Do you try to get in a prayer at night when you=re so exhausted that you don’t remember saying amen? Are you in the practice of praying before and after each meal? Do you ever stop during the day to say a prayer? Which would you say is more regular, your daily prayer deliveries or your daily mail deliveries? How would you score your prayer life on a scale of 1 to10?
Where do you pray? If and when the need arises, do you have special places set aside for your prayers? Jesus mentioned praying in a closet, although he often went off to a quiet place for his talks with the Father. Does anyone still kneel at his or her bedside to pray?
Prayer! Sometimes we flippantly toss the blessing of prayer around with such casual comments as, “I’ll keep you in my prayers” or “Don’t forget to pray about it,” only to forget our words a moment later. It’s such an easy blessing to ignore.
There’s an incredible example of a child of God in prayer in the person of Daniel. When Daniel was a young man, he was taken to a strange land to serve a heathen government. Now, perhaps well into his 80s, we find the exciting story of Daniel in the den of lions. This was the account in which Daniel was arrested for not praying to King Darius and was consequently thrown into a lions’ den.
Daniel got himself into the predicament because of his faithful prayer life. Daniel had a time and place for prayer, and he was not about to change for anyone, not even a king. Scripture says, “When Daniel learned that the decree [not to pray] had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God, just as he had done before” (6:10). How dare he be so bold and unashamed to pray, and to be seen in public no less! Daniel could not plead ignorance since we know he heard the decree. Daniel also knew the consequences. What could he have been thinking?
We can’t read Daniel’s mind, although it would have been interesting to listen in on his prayers, but we know one thing for certain. Daniel loved to pray. He enjoyed every moment he spent with his heavenly Father. He needed those quiet moments several times a day. He cherished the opportunity to come before God’s throne and empty his heart. He was always punctual in his prayer time. And he wasn’t about to let anyone take that blessing away.
Do you have that same prayer conviction? Have you ever been afraid someone might catch you in prayer? Have you ever gotten off a quick prayer while no one was looking? Do you forgo your mealtime prayers when away from home in fear that someone might notice you? Does it bother you that those around you might hear you carrying on a conversation with your heavenly Father?
That is not to say that we should follow the lead of the Pharisee who pounded his chest when he prayed in public, but perhaps we can appreciate that certain boldness in Daniel’s prayer life. We can feel a certain comfort learning Daniel’s prayer habits. We can grasp a certain confidence when we understand how important prayer was to this great man, and not only to Daniel, but also to Moses, Gideon, Hezekiah, Samuel, Hannah, Elijah, Ezra, Peter, Stephen, Paul, and many more prayer warriors.
No doubt Daniel would agree with Isaiah who said, “You will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I” (Isaiah 58:9).
Personal goal: Strive to improve your prayer life. Make it an important part of every day.
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