Devotional for Friday, February 09, 2007

Text:Daniel 6:10 (New International Version)

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.
The decree that Daniel was referring to was that of King Darius stating that for thirty days everyone must pray to him and worship him as a god. Daniel knew that he wasn’t going to do that so he potentially was facing death. Although we may not be facing death, we can apply this to any dilemma or situation that we may be facing. There is a lot to be said about prayer being our initial response to a problem. Sadly, most of the time this is our last response. God wants to be first in our lives; Whether it is to give him praise first for any blessing because after all, “Every good and perfect gift is from above” or whether it is to cry out for his mercy in a time of trouble. Very often the Lord will allow calamity into our lives for that one very reason; He is waiting for us to cry out to him, to turn our attention toward Him and to acknowledge our dependence on Him. Our flesh will resist this to the very end and we will often exhaust every other resource before we come to Him in prayer. Prayer must always be our first response.
The second thing that fascinates me about this passage is that Daniel prayed facing toward Jerusalem. To me, this speaks of a yearning heart. He yearned to be in the place where he knew that God dwells. As I walk with the Lord and allow Him to reveal himself to me in new ways, I am convinced that the most effective trait a believer can have is a heart that yearns. It is out of longing for God that every aspect of our lives will be dictated by His will and ultimately transformed into His likeness. It is out of that yearning that Daniel prayed, not once or even twice but three times a day, always with a heart yearning to be where God is. He could come before the Lord freely and without a feeling of guilt or shame.
Very often, during a time of trouble, our prayers begin like this, “Lord, I know I haven’t prayed in a very, very long time, but I really need your help right now…” There is something to be said about staying connected to the Lord always so that when trouble arises we already come to Him with a sense of knowing that He is in control. Its not that we earn any special privileges with God but the simple fact is, He hears the faithful (Psa 101:6), He rewards obedience and he hears the prayers of a submitted heart (Heb 5:7).
Are we in sin if we don’t pray three times a day? I don’t think that’s the point. The point is to have a heart that yearns for God in any and all circumstances and a willingness to bring all of our troubles to him as a first response and not a last resort. If you think that praying three times a day is a ridiculous notion, then consider Ephesians 6:18 that says, “Pray without ceasing.”

How to pray this scripture:

Lord, I pray that you help me in my time of distress. That no matter what trial I am going through I would always come to you in the knowledge that you will save me. Lord, I pray that you would give me a heart that yearns for you always. That I would seek you in any and all situations. I refuse to make an idol of my circumstance. I will trust in the Lord at all times. Lord, place in me a greater hunger for you so that I would seek you morning, noon and night and be extravagantly devoted to you. Amen

Other scriptures to read:

Psalms 55:16-17
Psalms 101:6
Hebrews 5:7
Romans 12:12
Ephesians 6:18

back to devotions main