Do you consider yourself a person of prayer? Is there a Christian person of prayer presently or historically that has inspired you in your prayer life? There have been many people of prayer documented throughout history, both people from the Bible, as well as from everyday life. Maybe you can think of someone you know that you would consider a person of prayer.
Daniel
One such person of prayer was Daniel, a prophet in the Bible. (He has his own book in the Old Testament of the Bible, located between the books of Ezekiel and Hosea.) King Nebuchadnezzar captured Daniel when he was a young boy (possibly a teenager.) The king kept Daniel in captivity in Babylon, along with several other Jews from Judah.
Daniel was trained to serve in the King’s palace early in his captivity. He was given a position of authority by the king. In addition, the king changed Daniel’s name trying to get him to change his religious loyalty from Judah’s God to the Babylonian gods.
However, Daniel stayed loyal to his God. Nothing deterred him. His faith didn’t waiver even under threats of punishment or death. Daniel was thrown into a den of lions once because, although it was against the law, he continued praying to God instead of bowing down to the King!)
Daniel’s prayer life was persistent, earnest, and disciplined–a privilege and gift he took very seriously. He was a faithful servant of God and had a close relationship with Him that began even before he was captured and carried to Babylon. And Daniel continued living his life faithful to his God until his death which is estimated to be when he was around 90 years old. What a legacy of prayer he left behind!
Wouldn’t you like to leave such a legacy of prayer behind?
Daniel proved himself to be a person of prayer. Reading about Daniel, we find several characteristics of Daniel’s prayer life that could help us strengthen our own Christian walk and become a person of prayer.
6 Characteristics of Daniel’s Prayer Life
1. Daniel was faithful to God.
Daniel’s relationship with God started prior to his capture from Jerusalem. Early in his captivity, Daniel chose to not defile himself by eating the King’s rich food. Instead, he continued to eat his diet of vegetables and water. Daniel proved to the king that he could remain strong and healthy physically by eating his regular diet.
Although he tried, the King was unable to entice Daniel to accept the Babylonian religion and to worship their gods. Risking the anger of the King, Daniel chose to remain faithful to the laws of his God instead.
Have you remained faithful to God? Or have you chosen to worship the “gods” of our age (i.e., money, success, material possessions, etc.)?
2. Daniel was committed to praying.
Even after a law had been put in place against praying to God, Daniel did not stray in his commitment to prayer. He was even thrown into a den of lions because he continued to pray to his God rather than bow down and worship the King. His first commitment was to his God.
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. Daniel 6:10a (NLT)
If we had a law against praying to God, would there be enough evidence to convict you if you were arrested for praying?
3. Daniel was disciplined in his prayer time.
It was not a secret to anyone that Daniel was a man of prayer. He prayed at the same time each day, three times a day.
He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Daniel 6:10b (NLT)
Even with our busy lives and hectic schedules, do you take time for uninterrupted focused prayer? It may be difficult to set aside a scheduled time for prayer three times a day every day. However, if we want our relationship with God to grow deeper, shouldn’t we find time each day to spend with our Heavenly Father in prayer? We can also continue to pray throughout the day as opportunities arise so that we always stay aware of God’s presence. Praise God that we have the freedom to pray anytime and anywhere knowing that He will hear us and answer our prayers.
12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV)
Do you have a scheduled time set aside to pray each day or a specific place where you pray?
4. Daniel was respectful.
Kneeling before the Lord isn’t a requirement for prayer; however, this posture does show the reverence and respect one would expect a person to show his God. Prayer can take many positions–singing, dancing and with instruments (Psalms, Exodus 15:20); with hands lifted in prayer (1 Timothy 2:8); standing and shouting (2 Chronicles 20:19; bowing heads in gratitude and worship (Exodus 12:27). You may incorporate none or all these positions depending on how short or long your prayer session is and the type of prayer you are praying (i.e., praise, confession, thanksgiving, or petitions for yourself or others.)
What posture do you take in prayer? Do you kneel? Raise your hands in worship? Sing His praises? Spend time worshiping Him?
5. Daniel was persistent in prayer.
We see in the book of Daniel that Daniel was persistent in prayer. In Daniel 6:10 above, we see Daniel prayed “just as he had always done.” Daniel knew he was not following the law, yet he chose to pray anyway, even at the risk of punishment or death.
Are you persistent in your prayers? Even when God doesn’t appear to answer, do you continue to pray to Him about your concerns, trusting that He has heard your prayers and will make His answers known “in His time?“
6. Daniel was thankful.
Daniel not only prayed with requests for himself, but he also spent time thanking God for answered prayers, the blessings in his life, and for his people. In Daniel 9 we see where he included confession and petitions for his people as the end of their captivity in Babylon was drawing near.
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people—1 Timothy 2:1 (NIV)
When praying, do you include petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving for all people as Paul tells us to in 1 Timothy?
Closing
Do you want to become a “person of prayer?” Perhaps you need to incorporate some (or all) of these characteristics from Daniel’s life into your own prayer life.
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16b (NLT)
Closing Prayer
Holy Father,
How I long to pray like Daniel! To be diligent, persistent, and confident no matter the circumstances I find myself in. I pray for a trusting heart that is faithful in both praying and listening to what Your Divine Will is directing me to do. Thank you for the assurance I have that You do hear my prayers and the expectation I have in knowing You will answer them at the appropriate time—Your time.
I ask these things in Jesus’ name,
Amen
Resource:
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Battle Plan for Prayer, Chapter 1, by Stephen and Alex Kendrick, B&H Publishing Group, 2015.
