Daniel 6:10

10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

When you study the life of Daniel, one key thing that springs out is his relationship with God and his prayer life. Prayer was not an event for him, but rather a lifestyle. The Bible says that he would kneel and pray to God three times a day, as was his custom from his early days.

The king had signed a decree that could not be changed, not even by him. The decree stated that if anyone petitions another god except the king for the next 30 days, they would be thrown into the lion’s den. Daniel’s enemies had come up with this petition because as much as they had tried, they could not find anything in Daniel’s life to accuse him of and because they had noted his dedication to prayer, they used that.

Now picture this, suppose it was you, how would you have handled this situation? For many of us, we would have probably thought 30 days is not a long time, so for the next 30 days I will not pray or if I do, I will hide lest I am thrown into the lion’s den and lose my life. God will understand, right?

Not Daniel, the bible says that when he knew that the writing had been signed, he went home and prayed just as he usually did, with the windows open and facing Jerusalem. Nothing, not even a threat to his life, would come between him and God.

How important is prayer in our lives as believers? What are some common excuses that we have adopted to excuse ourselves and justify why we cannot pray?

As a government official, Daniel must have been a busy man, but he was not too busy not to pray. He consistently prayed three times a day, and his relationship with God came first in his life. As much as we marvel at how God saved Daniel from the lions, we must never forget that Daniel had adopted a life of listening to and talking to God daily. Remember, by the time this episode happens, Daniel is about 80 years old, and praying three times a day has been his custom since his early days.

Reflections

• What is the one thing you can never give up in your life, no matter what circumstances you face?
• How important is prayer in your life?
• Does your prayer life align to how indispensable you say prayer is?