Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Daniel 6:10-14
When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. (ESV)
by Linda Harris
Once again, Daniel could have altered his actions and rationalized it. He could have prayed in a less conspicuous way or abstained for one month. But he refused to change his customary practices to avoid persecution. He believed, as Peter and the apostles did, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
If prayer became illegal, would you be caught? Do others know you as a person of prayer? Is it an occasional event or an ingrained habit in your life? Warren Wiersbe writes, “A believer who knows how to kneel in prayer has no problem standing in the strength of the Lord.”
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
dbm