Daniel 6:10 (NKJV) Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. Daniel 6:10 (NIV) Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. 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 (NLT) But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Daniel 6:10 (MSG) When Daniel learned that the decree had been signed and posted, he continued to pray just as he had always done. His house had windows in the upstairs that opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he knelt there in prayer, thanking and praising his God. INTRODUCTORY PEARL The more I think of and pray about the religious situation in our country, the deeper my conviction becomes that Christians do not realize that the aim of conversion is to bring them into daily fellowship with the Father in heaven. For the believer, taking time each day with God's Word and in prayer is indispensable. Each day we need to wait upon God for His presence and His love to be revealed. It is not enough at conversion to accept forgiveness of sins or even to surrender to God. That is only a beginning. We must understand that we have no power on our own to maintain our spiritual life. We need to receive daily new grace from heaven through fellowship with the Lord Jesus. This cannot be obtained by a hasty prayer or a superficial reading of a few verses from God's Word. We must take time to come into God's presence, to feel our weakness and our need, and to wait on God through His Holy Spirit to renew our fellowship with Him. Then we may expect to be kept by the power of Christ throughout the day. It is my aim to help Christians to see the absolute necessity of spending time with the Lord Jesus. Without this, the joy and power of God's Holy Spirit in daily life cannot be experienced. [Andrew Murray 365-Day Devotional Bible] INTRODUCTION Daniel stood alone. Although he knew about the law against praying to anyone except the king, he continued to pray three times a day as he always had. Daniel had a disciplined prayer life. Our prayers are usually interrupted, not by threats, but simply by the pressure of our schedules. Don't let threats or pressures cut into your prayer time. Pray regularly, no matter what, for prayer is your lifeline to God. [Life Application SB] Throughout the Bible and history since then, people of God are people of prayer. In the space of two verses, Daniel gives us a model for talking with God. Daniel prayed regularly, apparently at least three times a day. Like most believers, he probably carried on an ongoing conversation with God at other times, but he had set aside a specific time and place to devote to prayer every day. His prayers included giving thanks as well as asking for help in his circumstances. This time of conversation with God was clearly more important to him than a kings decrees - or the painful consequences of ignoring those decrees. Prayer is a vital connection with the one who gives us life. [NIV Once A Day Bible] COMMENTARY Christs followers today should guard against the tendency to lose the spirit of reverence and godly fear. The Scriptures teach men how they should approach their Maker"with humility and awe, through faith in a divine Mediator. The psalmist has declared: The Lord is a great God, And a great King above all gods. O come, let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Psalm 95:3"6. Both in public and in private worship it is our privilege to bow on our knees before God when we offer our petitions to Him. Jesus, our example, kneeled down, and prayed. Luke 22:41. Of His disciples it is recorded that they, too, kneeled down, and prayed. Acts 9:40. Paul declared, I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 3:14. In confessing before God the sins of Israel, Ezra knelt. See Ezra 9:5. Daniel kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God. Daniel 6:10. PK47-48 Short-term commitment is not too hard. It is disciplined consistency that comes harder to us - yet it is a key to spiritual growth. The often sporadic nature of our commitment is seen in short-lived exercise programs, Bible memorization, reading plans, and New Year's resolutions. How many of us start something well, only to later abandon it! But equally, you have probably encountered people who are incredibly consistent and disciplined. They walk their dog at the exact same time every day or collect their mail with such precise timing that you could set your watch by it; and when they set themselves to undertake a task or learn a new skill, they do so with a diligence that leaves you in no doubt that they will complete it. Daniel was a man who exhibited such disciplined consistency when it came to prayer. His life was not marked by bursts of enthusiasm followed by chronic inertia. He clearly prayed whether he felt like it or not. There were probably times when he got up from his knees feeling really blessed and other times when he left feeling really flat, but he kept on. He prayed and he prayed and he prayed, no matter the circumstances. That's discipline! When a crisis hit, it didn't create Daniel's disciplined lifestyle; it revealed it. After King Darius issued an edict that made it illegal to pray to god or man other than him for thirty days (Daniel 6:7), Daniel could have rationalized obedience to it, rather than to the Lord. He could have reasoned that because he'd stored up such phenomenal credit on the strength of all his years of prayer, he could be let off for a month. Apparently, though, such a thought never even crossed his mind. Instead, he continued in prayer just "as he had done previously." Surely there was a link between Daniel's life of prayer and the bravery he showed in obeying the God of Israel rather than the most powerful king in the known world. Our Lord told us, too, that we "ought always to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1). We are not to close prayer down for a while if we don't feel like it or have little spare time for a season. If we want to live for Jesus when we're under pressure, our prayer lives must be consistent. We must regard prayer as a fundamental element of our faith, not merely a nice supplement. The door is wide open for you to demonstrate the same kind of consistent commitment to prayer as Daniel did. Through regular discipline, prayer can become your natural reaction to every situation in your life. Do you need to set aside a time each day when you will pray and give thanks to your God, come what may? Wherever God takes us, whatever we do, however His plan unfolds, may our prayers be unceasing. [Truth for Life by Alistair Begg] CLOSING PEARL The more I think of and pray about the religious situation in our country, the deeper my conviction becomes that Christians do not realize that the aim of conversion is to bring them into daily fellowship with the Father in heaven. For the believer, taking time each day with God's Word and in prayer is indispensable. Each day we need to wait upon God for His presence and His love to be revealed. It is not enough at conversion to accept forgiveness of sins or even to surrender to God. That is only a beginning. We must understand that we have no power on our own to maintain our spiritual life. We need to receive daily new grace from heaven through fellowship with the Lord Jesus. This cannot be obtained by a hasty prayer or a superficial reading of a few verses from God's Word. We must take time to come into God's presence, to feel our weakness and our need, and to wait on God through His Holy Spirit to renew our fellowship with Him. Then we may expect to be kept by the power of Christ throughout the day. It is my aim to help Christians to see the absolute necessity of spending time with the Lord Jesus. Without this, the joy and power of God's Holy Spirit in daily life cannot be experienced. [Andrew Murray 365-Day Devotional Bible] REPEATED FOR EMPHASIS LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray Without Ceasing. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210628-0909.html Luke 18:1 - Always Pray and Never Give Up. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210814-1032.html YOUR COMMENTS If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or testimony on this passage of Scripture, either personal or otherwise, I would be interested in hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred Gibbs LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT Most Important Decision in Life: http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: https://stepstopeace.org/ Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782 Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ Amazing Facts Bible Studies: http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study Guides: https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/ LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/ Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657 Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE