“But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help.” Daniel 6:10-11 NLT
I send you greetings from the twin cities of Minneapolis-St Paul. I am here for a training conference and will be home Tuesday evening.
Do we dare to pray? Or does the world say, “How dare you pray?”Or is prayer something that is just so commonplace that it really does not have a special place in our worship of God or our devotion time with God? Paul says in I Thessalonians that we are to always have an attitude of prayer and be ready to pray at the time God calls us to pray. Paul seems to say pray when it seems right and when it just does not seem right. Paul says to, like Daniel, dare to pray when things are good and when things are not so good.
Daniel had three choices. Each choice carries a price tag with a high cost. Daniel could decide not to pray and that would cost him his fellowship with God. Daniel could also decide to hide and pray in secret. This would cost him the ability to influence people around him. Finally, Daniel could decide to continue to pray and that would cost him his life.
We may not face a real lion’s den or fiery furnace like Daniel did. But we will all face trials where we feel the lions are circling looking to devour and there are times when we feel the flames of trouble burning our toes. But we go on. We go on with business as usual. We serve a Savior who is able to go into the lion’s den. We serve a Savior who stands with us in the flames of temptation and denial. We serve a Christ who is able to see us through. We must keep our eyes on the Lord and not on the lions or on the heat from the flames.
Someone we know may be in a lion’s den. It could be a lion’s den of a broken marriage. It may be a lion’s den of a broken family. It may be furnace fueled by the loss of one’s health. God is calling us to prayer for those people that He will show Himself mighty in their situation. Paul said that God’s grace is more than enough for whatever we face. God will stand with us and He will not leave until we are on the other side of the problem.
And we can learn that the difference between Daniel and most of us is, Daniel served God continually. But most of us serve God when it is comfortable and convenient. We serve Him until we can’t get our way anymore. We serve Him as long as everything is going our way. Am I right about it!? But Daniel answers, my God is able. Daniel also knew that God had sent deliverance from the Lions and from the furnace.
Daniel is an incredible person to look at for a life study. He shows us with living example what it is to live in a society wants nothing to do with God and His Word. Looking to his life we learn how to live in the world around us … to separate ourselves from the grip of the world and at the same time make an impact upon it for the cause of the kingdom. Have you dared to be a Daniel this week?
Be a Daniel … dare to pray!
Hello Again!!
7 years ago
