Scripture
10But 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. 11Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. Daniel 6:10-11
Observation
Daniel was the third most powerful person in the pagan land of Persia and the other leaders were not happy about this. They kept looking for way to discredit him, to dig up some dirt to blackmail him, to find some flaw in his character, some skeleton in his closet and “but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. 5So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.” (Dan 6:4-5). How amazing would it be if this could be said of us? What if the only fault anyone could find with Christ followers is their passionate, extremist pursuit of Jesus? What if Christians were the best employers, employees, parents, teachers, leaders in our community? What if the only thing that could be leveled against the Christian community of faith was that, no matter what, we just won’t stop praying? Notice, Daniel is described as kneeling in prayer “as usual”? This is his spiritual habit. Daniel was a “religious extremist.” He’s flat out addicted, not to sexual deviancy, not to self promotion, not to drugs or alcohol, but the presence of God through prayer. Not just once, or twice, but three times a day. So much so that his fellow leaders knew exactly where and when to look for him to see if Daniel would obey the Kings edict to stop praying. How incredible would it be if the only accusation people could bring against us what that we were too predictable in our prayer life?
Application
Daniel, like Jesus, was a man of prayer. Jesus spent time each and every day praying to his Father and then would continue praying throughout the day. Luke tells us that Jesus “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). Mark notes at the very beginning of his Gospel the daily practice for Jesus: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). Sometimes Jesus would spend the entire night in prayer (Luke 6:12). No matter where Jesus went, no matter Jesus did, He was talking to His Father and doing what He saw His Father doing. Even when He was separated from His Father as He took on our sin on the Cross He kept praying for us, “Father forgive them for the don’t know what they’re doing.” This is an extreme commitment to prayer. The phrase “religious extremism” has been thrown around a lot lately by many in the political spheres. It’s certainly not meant as a compliment. It usually pertains to a person or group of people fighting for the rights of the unborn, keeping sexual perversion out of our schools, or rejecting revisionist versions of history. These are fights that need to be taken up, but I wonder if there’s a lesson to be learned from Daniel and Jesus in this? Daniel in Persia and Jesus in a Palestine under Roman rule would have seen very similar political corruption, moral degradation, and abject perversion normalized as we do today. Yet, when you look at their lives what do you notice? Their reputation, their extremism, all revolved around prayer and loving the person right in front of them. I’m not saying we need to back down from our stance in these important areas, but maybe we need to kneel down first. Daniel’s first response to that pagan edict to pray only to the King was to kneel and ask God for help. He didn’t bow to the political pressures of his day any more than we should. Yet, Daniel was able to stand, whether in the courts of the king or the lions Den, precisely because he would keep kneeling in prayer. His reputation was key to his witness to those around him. Ultimately, the true change we want to see in this country won’t happen in the halls of D.C. until it happens in the hearts of men and woman seeing their need for Jesus. The only way that’s going to happen is if we make sure we are doing battle in prayer before trying to do it in person. Let’s make sure our desire for righteousness in the land is born out in how we treat people with respect and love whether we agree with them or not. That we, like Jesus, would pray for our enemies to come to the saving knowledge of the True King of Kings. Then, we might hear similar words from neighbors, friends and even the highest offices in the land as Daniel heard: “25Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you! 26“I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end.” (Dan. 6:25-26)
Prayer
It feels like the Lions Den right now for a lot of Your followers Lord. I realize, even as I write, that this is coming from a very sanitized North American Christian mindset. Brothers and sisters all over the world are actually dying for their faith as they witness to others. I know we aren’t facing that yet, but I also know we can’t just sit idly by as we watch the moral slide of our country into chaos. Yet, I also know You have called us to live in the heart of Persia, in the heart of Rome, to reach the hearts of those who are far from You. I pray that my extremism would be marked prayer. That I would be extreme in my love for my enemies. That I would remember that prayer is my weapon because my true enemies are not flesh and blood, but principalities and powers in the heavenly places. That, my reputation, would be as one who, no matter what, won’t stop praying for God’s help for our families, churches, cities, and country. Let me be extreme in passionate pursuit of Your presence and power in every place.
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