By His Word
“Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” — Daniel 6:10 (NIV).
When I read the story of Daniel, I’m tempted to hurry to the lions’ den. I want to hear the king call down into the darkness and Daniel answer that God has kept him safe. But this time, I want to linger in the upstairs room. Before the king spent a sleepless night and before Daniel heard a lion breathe in the darkness, there was a man at home on his knees. He had been there the day before, and the day before that. I wonder how many of those prayers felt ordinary to Daniel. Scripture gives us no record of what he felt when he rose from his knees each day. It gives us something I find more encouraging. It tells us he kept returning.
Daniel 6 begins with a man whose work could stand up to scrutiny. Darius planned to give Daniel greater responsibility, and the other officials searched for something they could use against him. His conduct gave them no grounds for a charge. His devotion to God, however, gave them something they could count on. They persuaded Darius to sign a decree making it unlawful for thirty days to petition any god or person except the king. The penalty was the lions’ den. Daniel learned the decree had been published, went home, and prayed. Alistair Begg observes that “disciplined consistency” is harder to sustain than a brief commitment. Daniel’s colleagues were so sure of that consistency that they built their whole scheme around it.
Daniel’s upstairs windows opened toward Jerusalem. That detail carries the memory of Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple. Solomon had asked God to hear His people if they were taken captive and turned back to Him in prayer toward their land and city (1 Kings 8:46–50). Daniel, an exile from Judah, lived far from Jerusalem, yet he could still turn to the God who heard His people. The Aramaic expression min qadmat den, meaning “before this,” puts the emphasis on a practice already underway. Daniel knew exactly what the decree could cost him, and he kept his usual appointment with God. The courage we see in the crisis grew out of a relationship Daniel tended on ordinary days.
I’m especially moved that Daniel gave thanks. The next verse says he also asked God for help. Both belonged in the same prayer. I can imagine how easily a threat like that could fill every sentence, and there are days when my own worries come close to doing the same. Daniel shows me that I can tell God what frightens me and thank Him for a mercy I have already received. I can ask for help with a decision and thank Him for the friend who listened while I tried to put it into words. Thanksgiving gives us somewhere to stand while we ask God for help with what we still cannot see.
By morning, God had shut the mouths of the lions, and Darius publicly acknowledged the living God. Centuries later, on the night of His arrest, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, where Luke says He went “as usual.” There He also knelt and prayed. He asked His Father to take the cup from Him, then yielded Himself to the Father’s will. Daniel was brought safely out of the den. Jesus rose from His knees and went on to the cross. When I read those passages together, I hear an invitation to bring my real desires to the Father and trust Him with what comes next. Sometimes the answer brings relief. Sometimes I rise from prayer with the same hard thing ahead of me and enough strength to take the next step.
If you want to begin a steadier life of prayer, choose one moment you can return to tomorrow. It may be when you sit down with your first cup of coffee, when you park outside work, or when the house finally grows quiet. Read Daniel 6:10 slowly. Thank God for one specific kindness. Tell Him plainly where you need help. Ask Him to show you one faithful thing you can do today. When you miss a day, come back at the next opportunity. The Father you meant to speak to yesterday is ready to hear you today.
Daniel 6:10 shows how daily prayer prepares believers to trust God under pressure. Daniel brought both gratitude and need before God, and he kept doing so when obedience became costly. His example gives us a way to begin wherever we are. Make room for prayer in the ordinary course of the day, so that turning to God becomes familiar before trouble comes.
If Daniel’s upstairs room has made you want to linger a little longer in Scripture, consider exploring PAGES on Intentional Faith. The Journey offers help for the daily walk with Christ, and The Battle invites you to think about what it takes to stay faithful when that walk gets difficult.
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