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
In this brief excerpt from the life of Daniel, we see the essential ingredients of a strong prayer life. If you want to build an effective prayer life, you need to follow the practices of Daniel. His life teaches us about building an effective prayer life.
When Daniel heard the decree of the king, the Scriptures say that he went to pray "as he did aforetime." Daniel's prayer life was not just an emergency measure. It was not something that he did when problems greater than he could handle arose. Prayer was a long-established habit of his life. And so he was simply doing what he had been doing all along. Prayer was his way of dealing with life.
A crucial question for every believer is this: How will I handle life and its problems? Our life is not to be lived at the mercy of moods, pressures, or crises. It is to be lived in complete dependence upon God. So we too should make prayer the habit of our lives. The Christian's motto ought to be: "Life is precious; handle it with prayer." Our first inclination ought to be to pray.
I cannot overestimate the importance of good spiritual habits in your life. We are all creatures of habit, so we need to establish some good ones. When we think about habits, we usually think of bad ones that we need to break. However, there are some good habits that we need to establish.
Every great servant of God including Jesus has had them. The Scriptures say concerning Jesus, "And, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day" (Luke 4:16). Going to the synagogue was a habit in the life of Jesus.
What are the spiritual habits of your life? Do you know what it is to have a time and a place of prayer like Daniel?
· Martin Luther said, "Prayer is a powerful thing, for God has linked himself thereto."
· Alfred Lord Tennyson said, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of."
You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you can't do more than pray until after you have prayed. If prayer is not the habit of your life, then I urge you to begin now. It is the key to spiritual growth.
Scripture to Claim:
Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice. He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me, for they are many who strive with me. Psalms 55:17-18
