There once was a prayer warrior named Daniel. He was a high government official in the country where he lived. Daniel was well-respected by the king of that country, even though he did not practice the state religion.
Although Daniel had a good job, even some degree of power, there were drawbacks. One, he was a slave and had no control over his day-to-day tasks. Another problem was he was hated by his co-workers, who hatched an elaborate scheme to get Daniel into trouble when they got wind of the king’s plan to set Daniel over the whole government. (See Daniel 6)
The only thing the other leaders could think to do was to get Daniel in trouble for serving his God.
All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps,
Daniel 6:7 NASB 1995
the high officials and the governors have consulted together that
the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that
anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you,
O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den.
In trouble for praying
The leaders appealed to the king’s vanity: “let not any man pray to a god or man EXCEPT you, O King.” And naturally, the king fell prey to their evil plan.
What did Daniel do?
Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house
Daniel 6:10 NASB 1995
(now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem);
and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying
and giving thanks before his God,
as he had been doing previously.
He kept praying
Daniel had built a habit. He prayed 3 times a day, with his window open toward Jerusalem (his home town).
Daniel did not compromise. He could have said, “I’ll keep praying, but I’ll keep my windows closed, and pray hiding in my closet.” No, he did as he had always done and prayed despite who might be listening.
Long Story Short
The decree from the king could not be changed, so into the lion’s den Daniel went. But there was someone else in the lion’s den besides the lions. God had sent an angel to stop the mouths of the lions the whole time Daniel was there.
In the morning, Daniel was released; and his accusers paid the fate they had hoped Daniel would receive. They, along with their families, were cast into the lion’s den as punishment for their deeds. No angel was there to protect them, and they were killed instantly.
Summing It Up
Faithful praying pays off.
Messing with a prayer warrior could bite you in the end. 😊
Seriously, though, what better testimony could you have on those around you than the knowledge their only accusation is that you pray too much!
Oh, and the king honored God and Daniel:
I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom
Daniel 6:26a, 28 NASB 1995
men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel …
… So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius
and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
This is Day 25 of my Transformation: Becoming an Effective Prayer Warrior series. The goal is to write 28 posts discussing spiritual armor, the prayer of agreement and other prayer strategies.
I don’t pretend to know all the answers. I’m going to be thinking with my fingers, so to speak, as I process what is in my heart about these topics after reading the word and praying for discernment.
You can go here to see each post I will be making on this topic.
Today’s question for your consideration: Do you view anything as a threat to your prayer life?
PREVIOUS POST – Transformation: Savor the Soul Saver
Sharing at Anita Ojeda’s 2023 Write 28 Days Challenge and Grace and Truth and Tune In Thursday
All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy.