Daniel, chapter 6 is the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. This is one of those stories that you first hear in Sunday School as a young child. There is even a Veggie Tales cartoon about Daniel. There are so many lessons that us as adults can take from the story of Daniel being in with the Lions.
The first lesson here is the importance of prayer. It was clearly important to Daniel. He prayed 3 times a day, every day. That prayer time was important to Daniel, so important, that he was willing to risk his life over his three prayers a day. Praying to God became outlawed, here we see in 6:10 what Daniel did about it: "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." In those days, the Jews would open their windows to pray, and Daniel continued to do that- regardless of who might see him participating in the outlawed prayer time.
We can learn from Daniel that we must pray- no matter what. Prayer is our link to God in a world that is constantly challenging our Faith. God can keep us safe in all situations- the lions in our life may not go away, but God can help us get through and will stay the lions for us. Prayer can help us grow in our faith and trust in God- and it can also be a great example for others. Allowing others wot witness our prayers can help them to grow in the Lord as well. The King saw Daniel's example and destroyed the decree against praying to God. Now that is an example!
Can we be like Daniel? Do I practice my prayers daily with determination and persistence? I could certainly do better. I am thankful that I have Daniel as an example of how to be diligent in my prayer- and also to see that there is a reward for diligence. Because of Daniel's diligence, a King proclaimed God the Lord of all. Who can I be an example to today because of my prayer life? Something to think on today.
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