Daniel is one of few Bible heroes who never failed. There’s “Daniel in the Lions’ Den.” There’s Daniel interpreting dreams. Daniel insisting on a diet of vegetables in order to avoid breaking God’s law by eating unclean meats. There’s even a VeggieTales version in which, while being thrown to the lions, Daniel (played by Larry the Cucumber), yells, “Hey, don’t I get a phone caaaaallll?”
The Biblical report is amazing. When a law is passed making prayers illegal, Daniel goes home and prays. Not to make a point. Not to be SEEN praying. He simply goes home to pray. So he prays—alone in his private room.
“When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upper room opened toward Jerusalem and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to God, JUST AS HE HAD DONE BEFORE” Daniel 6:10-11.
You know the rest—Daniel was thrown into a pit of lions, survived the night, and was rescued by the king the next morning. Then the men who conspired against Daniel were thrown to the lions and were dead before their bodies reached the floor.
But what interests me is not some bold, heroic action, but rather Daniel’s ORDINARY prayer life. Consider his habits. EVERY day he knelt three times to pray and give thanks to God. This was not a man trying to prove a point. It was just a man of God showing why he IS a man of God: because he spends valuable time with the Father EVERY DAY. And not just once a day, but three times.
I believe THAT is the secret to Daniel’s extraordinary success. This prophet’s life is a story of success building on success, each win building on the win before. Why? Because Daniel got down on his knees and sought God’s face—EVERY DAY.
God, teach us—MOVE US—to spend quality time with YOU and in Your word EVERY DAY.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 