Committed to Prayer

Read Daniel 10 to get the full story, but today we will focus on just the first few verses. As you read, take note of how Daniel prepared himself to hear from God, and also notice the important messages given to him when the information was revealed.

The book of Daniel is packed full of wonderful accounts of God’s power manifest in Daniel’s life – the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, the handwriting on the wall. There’s plenty there to study and learn. This time I want to focus on a lesser known account in chapter 10, which gives us a glimpse into the spiritual realm.

The first thing I noticed is how committed Daniel is to his prayer. In verses 2 and 3 we read about his sacrificial approach and focus on seeking God.  He describes himself as “mourning.” The definition of the original word here indicates lamenting, or walking with head downcast. When we find ourselves in this condition, we need to follow Daniel’s example and go directly to seeking God.

And his isn’t a quick prayer in passing, asking for help. It is a focused, dedicated, sacrificial time that brings him into the presence of God. I know that I am good at the short prayer (and believe me, these are important too), but I need to work on finding the focus to seek God more completely at times.

Does your time with God in prayer seem more like a “sit down and have coffee together” or a passing wave on the freeway of life?

Consider your own personal responses. When you are lamenting, what is your first impulse? Where do you turn for comfort or guidance? As Christians, we seem to always get to the point of taking it to God, but if we’re honest about it, we have to admit that we don’t always start there. If you tend to turn elsewhere first, thinking about how you can remind yourself to turn to God from the start. Write down a plan for making this change, and start working on it, one step at a time.