What Would Daniel Do?

Is the idea of habits just a crutch that we weak 21st century Christians need? No, some of the Bible “greats” used them too. Think about Daniel. Daniel made it a habit to pray three times a day (sound familiar?) and he was so consistent in following through that his enemies were able to base a lot to kill him on it.

You know the story. Daniel’s rivals influenced the king to enact a law prohibiting prayer to anyone other than the king for 30 days knowing full well that Daniel would ignore the law. In fact, when Daniel heard about the law, he went right home and continued to pray three times a day as usual. Daniel’s enemies ran to the king crying, “Look! Daniel is still praying.”

Now I know we vaguely think that daily times of prayer were easy for characters in Bible times. Somehow daily prayer seems appropriate for them but impractical for us with our busy careers, families, church activities, home improvement projects, etc., etc. But try for a minute to think about whether it was easy from Daniel’s perspective. Daniel was not a full-time minister or monk. He was a busy government official rising rapidly through the ranks. At the time the new law was enacted, he was in the middle of a change in administrations on the verge of a huge promotion. I doubt it was any easier for Daniel to fit prayer into his schedule than it is for you and me to find time to pray during a busy day. Actually, given that Daniel was very much in the minority, a Jew far from home, with no Wednesday night prayer meeting or small group to keep him going, it was probably very much harder.

How did Daniel manage it? You know as well as I do that you don’t wake up one day in the middle of a demanding career and say, “Hmm. Well, would you look at that. I somehow manage to pray three times a day.” Unfortunately it just doesn’t happen that way. No, Daniel needed to purposefully and deliberately cultivate prayer as a habit. I am pretty sure he acted the same way he acted in Daniel chapter 1 where we read that Daniel “resolved” that he would not defile himself with the king’s food. My pastor says this word means “pulled together ideas.” In other words, Daniel brainstormed and put together a game plan. I imagine he did the same thing with prayer. He did not leave it to chance and hope he might have a spare moment at the end of the day. Instead, he said “Let me see. How often can I work a prayer break into my day? And where shall I pray? I think I can break away three times a day and I’ll set aside a place upstairs.”

And so Daniel set some goals about prayer and followed through. As a result he had the strength to live out his life in Babylon, God’s messenger in a secular world, unafraid of unjust laws, kings, and lions.

New habit for February: We are praying three times a day—just like Daniel. Remember to pray for a minute or two as soon as you wake up and before you drift off to sleep. Find a third time during the day when you can devote a few more minutes to prayer. And read your New Testament for 7-8 minutes a day. See the January 31 for more info.

"Three times a day [Daniel] got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God, just as he had done before." Daniel 6:10