“Three times a day he (Daniel) got down on his knees and prayed,
giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”
(Daniel 6:10)
In 1963, the United State Supreme Court banned public prayer from our schools in America. Bible-reading was banned from schools a year later. Since that time, we have seen a constant barrage of attacks against Christianity in any public forum. Today, the Ten Commandments, Christian crosses, and Nativity plays are forbidden in public. The mere mention of God’s name is anathema. Every year, we hear of students being taken to court for daring to pray at their graduation ceremonies or mention the name of Jesus in a graduation speech.
What would Daniel do if he were living in America today? In Daniel 6, the political leaders devised a plot to have Daniel thrown to the lions. They convinced the king to issue a decree forbidding everyone from praying to any god except the king himself. Essentially, they dared Daniel to continue praying. When Daniel heard about it; he was not deterred. He immediately went home, opened his window facing Jerusalem and proceeded to pray three times a day as was his custom. No threats would stop Daniel from praying. No lions would shut Daniel’s mouth.
What would happen in America today if Christians followed Daniel’s example? We could start by making prayer a consistent priority in our lives – more than just “thanks for the food” at each meal. Then, we might follow Daniel’s example by refusing to let anything or anyone deter us from prayer and our personal relationship with God – no threats from our culture, no demands on our schedules, and no excuses, interruptions, or shortcuts.
Bring on the lions. Dare to be a Daniel!
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for godly heroes of faith like Daniel.
Give me the courage I need to follow his example.
I choose to make prayer the priority of my life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
