When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open towards Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. -Daniel 6:10
The young man Daniel had been made a great leader in Babylon, despite his Jewish birthright. He worked hard for the betterment of Babylon and for its previous king, Nebuchadnezzar, and now its current king, Darius. Daniel managed this while maintaining his integrity not only before the king, but before God as well. In the harshest of times and environments he refused to let off his daily routine of prayer. He refused even when his very life was on the line.
We are in the grip of a global pandemic. It knows no borders. It is indifferent to age, nationality, race, religion, gender and socio-economic considerations. It has killed many. It will kill more. But it has not targeted us personally to prove our loyalty. It has not singled out Christ-followers. Daniel was targeted personally. Many millions of our brothers and sisters in Christ over the many years that have gone before us were also targeted personally. Many of them prayed anyway, and many of them died for that commitment. Amid hard times — times of intense persecution — many still pray. We should do the same.
Our world is not grinding to a halt, but these are without a doubt trying times. Unique times. I spoke today with a woman in our church family who is 86 years old. She told me “I’ve seen hard times, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this.” In our modern, advanced age, nations can be humbled in a matter of days. What are we to do as those who count Jesus as Lord? We should care for others. We should love one another. We should take necessary precautions. And we should pray. I humbly offer you a few suggestions to consider as you take up the call to fall on your knees.
- Offer praise to God first. He is holy and righteous and sovereign. He is worthy of praise in all seasons. Start your prayers with humility and worship. “Our Father, who is in heaven, holy is your Name.”
- Submit to the will of God. Prayers that prevail are prayers that are in alignment with the will of God. How do we know his will? Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Rom. 8:26-27). Ask God to help you pray properly.
- Be bold with your prayers. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ you are a co-heir with him. You are a child of God. Ask like a child asks a loving Father. As a young Roman Catholic, I was told that we go to dead saints first with prayer, just like an ordinary citizen would never go directly to the President with a request but would utilize an emissary. This is a great misunderstanding. If you want to follow this metaphor, do so, only remember this — the president in this metaphor is your daddy. Children of the President do not utilize emissaries. Go directly to him and ask.
- Pray in faith. Pray even when you do not feel like it. Ask God to melt your icy heart. Believe him, seek him and find him. C.H. Spurgeon said: “We cannot commune with God, who is a consuming fire, if there is no fire in our prayers… prayers which are filled with doubt are requests asking for a refusal.”
- Measure your prayers by their weight and their heart, not their length. There is a word for what a short prayer is… “prayer.” Prayers need not be long, nor do they need to be in King James English. Pray from your heart. Long or short, God hears the prayers of his people.
- Pray without ceasing. Keep pounding on the open doors of heaven. Persistence is commended by God (Luke 18:1-8). Trust his promises and pray them back to him (see Daniel 9:1-19).
Let’s be people of prayer during this time friends. Pray for one another. Pray for opportunities to see God’s handiwork in all of this. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7).
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym