A MAN TREASURED BY GOD - PART 2

"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

Daniel was a man "treasured by God" (Daniel 10:10). One reason for this distinction was his prayer life. Reading through this book again, I was impressed with three outstanding things about Daniel's prayer life. I will address the first of them in today's post and share the others in subsequent posts.

The first thing I notice about Daniel's prayer life is that prayer was his priority. It was not occasional or random. It was not dependent on feelings or circumstances. The words of the old Negro spiritual would not have applied to him ("Every time I feel the Spirit movin' in my heart, I will pray.") Daniel prayed whether he felt the Spirit movin' or not. The verse above indicates Daniel had a practice of praying three times a day. Imagine that! He was the Prime Minister of a world empire, yet he made time to commune with his heavenly Father three times a day. Sadly, many Christians today struggle to find the time to pray once a day.

Daniel not only had a set time for prayer, he also had a place -- "his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem." Daniel knew when he would pray and where he would pray. When you structure your praying to that extent, you tend to go there by default. You don't leave yourself to wonder whether, when or where. You have established a routine. And once a habit is developed, it's easier to follow it than to break it. That's human nature. Wisely, Daniel used the momentum of his own human nature to work for his spiritual health rather than against it.

The events of chapter six happened late in Daniel's life. He was an old man. By this stage he was a solid, mature believer. So, why did he still need to follow such a rigid prayer structure? Because Daniel understood the principle of spiritual drift: There is no standing still in our spiritual walk. Either we are growing or we are drifting. We never arrive at a stage where we needn't press in and press on.

One other thing. In Daniel chapter six we read that prayer had been outlawed by the king. It wan't just politically incorrect. It was illegal. The penalty for violating the law was a night's lodging in the lion's den. One would think that under that kind of pressure, Daniel would at least take a pause in his routine. Or, at the very least, close his windows before praying. Not Daniel. He would not be swayed from the pattern he had established years before. He was not being defiant or arrogant. He was not being foolishly super-spiritual. He was merely carrying on his righteous life-style that involved daily time with his God.

What about you? Is your prayer life a priority or a pastime? Is it need-driven or feeling-based? Have you developed a structure that takes advantage of your inate tendency toward the habitual? Someone has said that it takes 40 days to establish a habit -- six weeks. Remember, once a habit is formed, it's easier to follow it than to break it. What a great habit to have in your life -- the habit of prayer!

Why not start that 40-day journey today?