As the SENT ONE, Jesus intentionally
comes and immerses Himself in
relationship with God and us…
to fulfill God’s will.
Daniel 6:1-10
Now when Daniel learned that the decree 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 his God, just as he had done before.
~ Daniel 6:10
1 It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.
10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree 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 his God, just as he had done before.
In taking a look at Daniel’s prayer life this week, we find a “faultless man” with a consistent prayer life. We also find a person who will NOT be dissuaded from that life of prayer by others’ plans. He even stayed thankful despite his circumstances. It is not likely that Daniel prayed to God only at his three determined slots, but these slots were part of his plan. He intentionally carved out time to give the Lord his full attention.
If you were to carve out three times devoted to God alone, where would they fit in your schedule? How long would it last? What would the prayers consist of? Would it be more listening or talking? Jesus, who frequently talked of fulfilling God’s will, could be found seeking quiet time with His Father. With two such striking examples, how can we not want to emulate this?
Prayer for the Day
Lord God, as You emboldened Daniel in the face of adversity, help me to prayerfully stay the course with You matter what, trusting You to take care of me in the face of difficult times. Challenge me to carve out time for You and honor it daily. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.