”Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”Daniel: 6-10
Daniel and the lion’s den is one among the most popular bible stories of all time.My little girl’s first bible has a beautiful illustration of Daniel in the midst of the lions. Daniel’s life is a beautiful illustration of personal prayer and the personal relationship with God.The reason why Daniel was put into lion’s den was because of the priority he gave to his personal prayer.When we read Daniel,chapter 6 we could see Daniel being appointed as the highest authority in the Kingdom of Darius next to the King.He had the commanding power over 120 princes and also there were two other Presidents along with him.But the King was always in favor of Daniel because he could sense a right spirit in Daniel, a righteous person and a man of principles.The Princes and the Presidents tried to find a reason to accuse Daniel, but he was faithful to the law and they could not find any fault with his personal matters or with respect to the affairs of the Kingdom.So the Princes and Presidents of the nation assembled against Daniel and they found they could never find a charge against him other than the law of Daniels living God.They plotted a plan and went forth to the King and asked him to enforce a law that whoever prays to any God or man other than the King should be thrown into the lion’s den. The King accepted and enforced it .
When Daniel came to know about this he was not shaken.He did not think about the consequences. He did not care about the lion’s den. He knew that the God that he is calling upon is the creator of the lion. He knew the past of his nation. Also the super natural things that God did for his forefathers. He knew that the covenant he had with the God of Israel was greater than the decree that was plotted against him.He did not change a single thing in his prayer and did it as before.The way Daniel prayed is mentioned in Daniel6:10, with His window opened towards Jerusalem, bowing his knees,prayed with thanksgiving,three times a day.
A window opened towards Jerusalem. I was giving some thought to why an open window, why towards Jerusalem?An open window gives us an opportunity to think beyond the four walls that we are in.It adds insight and new perspectives to our vision.I happened to read that when ever a Jew is in a foreign nation he will pray facing Jerusalem because that is his destined place and so its his main focal point.Similarly for you and me if we pray within the closed walls of our own personal needs we will never be able to reach for the new perspectives God has in store for you and me.Prayer opens up the impossibilities in your life.It can take you to deeper dimensions in your life.Lets open the windows of our heart and focus on heaven, the dwelling place our Savior Jesus Christ has prepared for us.If we are able to visualize that peaceful dwelling place in prayer, God will take care of the bitterness and terrible experiences of our life . He will give us the strength to deal with it.
Kneeling upon his knees.I have seen pictures of people praying on their knees and I have seen many people do it and wondered how could they do that. Here I would like to go beyond the literal meaning of kneeling in prayer. Its an attitude in which we are looking towards the face of God. Its a manner in which we carry our own self before God.Its the ability to shrink our self before the omnipotent nature of God. An act of humbling ourselves , knowing that its his grace that made us stand before him.If there is anything that we have in our life that we cannot surrender in front of God; our emotions,achievements,personality,positions in the order of this world, spiritual blessings etc. then our prayer is seldom accepted by God Almighty.
Prayer with Thanksgiving. Are we with a thankful heart when we come to the presence of God or are we more accustomed to what God granted in our life?Lets acknowledge the prayers he answered and the sickness from which he delivered,the happiness and peace he added to our life.Count the blessings he granted each day and praise him for that, for our God could be pleased with a thankful heart.
Three times a day.Daniel prayed three times a day. He was a man with great responsibilities with respect to a big kingdom, still he found time to be in the presence of God three times a day. I guess Daniel followed a time schedule to be in the presence of God. What ever came in the way of his time with God he might have re-scheduled it.Also the number three have some biblical significance. Everything that is complete in the sight of God is sealed with the number three. Its a number that denotes personal completeness. Daniels prayer was complete in the sight of God.Are we able to maintain a consistency in our prayer life? Are we able to prioritize time well spend with God over our day to day hassles?
If we do that then the God who saved Daniel from the lion’s den will proclaim victory over all the decrees that Satan is putting forth to destroy you from reaching the dwelling place Jesus has in store for you and me.When Satan tries to accuse us, will we be like Daniel with out any mark or blemish? I wish you a successful prayer life focusing heaven,with total submission,thanksgiving and consistency.
“Pray often; for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.” John Bunyan.
In Christ Jesus,
Smitha Thomas
