11/23/2020
“Now when Daniel learned about 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. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.” (Daniel6:10-11)
Under Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel had risen to become the 3rd highest ruler in the kingdom, but Belshazzar on the very night of his recognition was slain and Darius succeed Belshazzar was approached by those who didn’t like Daniel’s position. They searched, but could find no legal way to have him removed. So they petitioned to Darius for a decree that anyone in the next 30 days who prayed to any god other than the king was to be thrown into the lion’s den.
Daniel knew of Darius’ decree. He knelt, a token of humility. He maintained his regular prayer habits. God vindicated Daniel’s courage. Prayer should not be an emergency measure; rather, it should represent habitual communication and fellowship with God.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY:
Precious Abba, we applaud Daniel, and it is our commitment to regular daily prayers, for this is where we communicate and have fellowship with you. As you affirmed and protected Daniel, we to have the same hope, that You will do the same for us. It is in Your Son’s name that we pray for Your answer. Amen.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY:
“Suffering for Jesus is suffering with Jesus.”
KNOWING GOD:
“The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuilt it.’ And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for he residence I will occupy? And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.” (Nehemiah 2:4, 8)
Nehemiah constantly sought God. He had already prayed aloud. This brief, silent prayer was effective because of his habit of prayer. Business conversations like this one need to be saturated with prayer beforehand and sprinkled with silent prayer as they progress.
Beloved, faith recognizes that all of the good things in life are expressions of the grace of God to us. When other people graciously supply our needs, their actions can ultimately be traced to God’s gracious leadership in our lives.
I AM
“Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what I lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus Christ clear the way for us to come to you.” (1st Thessalonians3:10-11)
Continued prayer reveals our intense dedication to a project for God. While God waits for the best time to act, we are to continue praying.
Here, the Father and the Son needed to work together to enable Paul to visit the Thessalonians. The Bible shows both activities of joint action and of separate actions by the three Persons of the Trinity, to collectively accomplish the goal. Clear?
SECOND THOUGHT of the DAY:
“He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked. The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.’” (Acts10:2–6)
Cornelius was a Gentile God-fearer (He had not formally converted to the Jewish faith.). He ‘prayed regularly.’ the 3:00 PM hour was the second of three prescribed hours of prayer for the Jews.
His came to him while he was in the second prescribed hour. The angel indicated his prayers were answered, having been remembered by God. Regular prayer will eventually result in receiving God’s answer.
Daily Meditation by Rev. Jerry 