Daniel's Prayer

Now when Daniel came to know that the writing had been signed, he went to his house (in his upper room he had windows open toward Jerusalem) and three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God, because he had always done so previously. Daniel 6:10

In my pursuing of the Life-study of Daniel, I was very much impressed with the ministry of the word concerning Daniel's prayer. An excerpt from Message Eight:

DANIEL'S FAITHFULNESS IN THE WORSHIP OF GOD

Verse 10 reveals Daniel's faithfulness in the worship of God. "Now when Daniel came to know that the writing had been signed, he went to his house (in his upper room he had windows open toward Jerusalem) and three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God, because he had always done so previously." He had read the prophecy of Jeremiah which prophesied that the children of Israel would serve the king of Babylon for seventy years (9:2b; Jer. 25:11). Standing upon this word, Daniel must have prayed many times for the fulfillment of this prophecy and for the return of the captives. He prayed, and he would not let anything stop or frustrate his prayer. He knew that his prayer was for the carrying out of God's economy concerning His elect. Therefore, his prayer was a serious matter.

Today, prayer is the lifeline in the Lord's recovery. The more Satan tries to frustrate our prayer, the more we should pray.

Three things that stands out in Daniel's prayer are, first, he prayed based on the word of God, second, he prayed towards Jerusalem for the fulfillment of the prophesy of Jeremiah, and third, he prayed earnestly as he used to, he was a man of prayer. 

The knowledge of the word of God is a solid base for our prayer life. Without the word of God, prayer would be habitual, if not religious, and would be full of empty words of human opinions, thoughts and desires. Often, many prayers are self centered, and even at times, against God's will. Nevertheless, with the word of God as the base, our prayer will be solid, full of truth and content, and will also be according to God's desire.

Daniel prayed with his windows opened toward Jerusalem. This to me is very meaningful. Firstly, it is again according to what Solomon prayed in his dedication of the the temple in Jerusalem, which is according to God's heart's desire. In today's understanding, it is to pray for the building up of the church, the house of God. All our prayer much be according to the word of God and for the building of the house of God, the church for the fulfillment of God's economy. Even when we pray for our petty needs pertaining to our family or persoanly matters, all our prayers should be ultimately in line with God's heart's desire. Since we are the church, our needs, aspirations and consideration must be one with God and in the view of the building up of the Body of Christ, the church. This is to pray toward Jersualem.

When Daniel prayed this prayer, he was a captive in Babylon. Irrespective of the outward circumstances, Daniel steadfastly prayed. His prayer was not based on convenience but he prayed because we was man of prayer. "Three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God, because he had always done so previously," this proves that Daniel was a man of prayer. Whether there be any specific need or not, he prayed daily, and daily he prayed according to the word of God.

Lord, make me such a man of prayer, praying according to the word of God for the fulfillment of Your will.