Today’s Reading, Daniel 4-6
Focal Scripture: Daniel 6:11 “Then these men went as a group and found Daniel petitioning and imploring his God.”
Would you ever stop praying if you were told to? I don’t mean private prayer where nobody could stop you, I mean bold public prayers. I have come to the conclusion that having a heart of prayer like Daniel is the exception to the rule and not the rule. Why do I make that statement because prayer is not important in the lives of many people outside of tradition. I know what you’re thinking, Allen why are you being judgmental about how people pray? I am just basing it on observational data.
Think about how often people won’t pray out loud when they are asked. Think about how little time is devoted to prayer in our worship services. Prayer happens for most people before meals and only when they have a crisis. Prayer is not a lifestyle that permeates every fiber of their being.
In today’s reading a decree was given that nobody could pray to any other God or they would be thrown into the lions den. The people who were against Daniel knew that prayer was important to him so they followed him home. When Daniel arrived he opened the window and prayed publicly and loudly for others to hear. Even though he knew it went against the new law. Daniel did not change his habits to fit in with the crowd. He risked death so he could speak with God.
The challenge I have for you is to pray even when others don’t think it should be elevated to a high standard. One time during a service I involved the entire church in the prayer time. It was a sweet time of fellowship. Was it different? Absolutely! Was it a way to showcase the power of prayer? Definitely. You would think that people would be excited to see so many people involved in prayer instead of listening to one person pray from a platform. For the most part I received overwhelming positive feedback. However, one person was upset that the prayer time was different. They actually yelled at me for changing the flow of service. They wanted to know why I had to change the way prayer was normally done. My response “People need to see that prayer can happen in many ways.”
I learned from that incident that prayer is not a priority for most people, especially inside of a worship service. The status quo of the same prayers is more important than cultivating a culture of prayer. The challenge I have for you personally and for your churches is to examine how much time you spend in prayer. How much time do you spend in personal prayer? How long do you spend in cooperate prayer?
Our hearts should be like that of Daniel and be willing to pray even when it goes against the grain. Imagine being upset that people spent more time in prayer than usual. Imagine complaining that prayer didn’t follow a set pattern. We need to be like Daniel and be found by our friends and enemies petitioning and imploring God.
Don’t let others limit prayer in your life or the life of a church. The quickest way to examine spiritual health for an individual and a body of believers is the attitude that surrounds prayer. Is it ritualistic or organic? Is more prayer encouraged or discouraged. Be a person that encourages more prayer in every setting. Have a heart of prayer.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Daniel 7-9
