Praying Like Always
“But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs bedroom, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.” [Daniel 6:10]
Daniel was on a collision course with the lion’s den! He just didn’t know it yet. But he was about to find out soon! The king had issued a decree that everyone in the land could only pray to him for thirty days (a bold decree!). Apparently Daniel didn’t get the memo, or perhaps he did! Yet despite the king’s decree we see how Daniel responded in the above reference.
When do you pray? Or, do you pray? When the pressure is on? When the going gets rough? When you get a bad report? Or, can it be said of you that, as usual, just like always, you will be found praying?
Growing up, my parents taught me how to pray—just talk to God like you would your best friend. They would tell stories of how God answered their prayers. I would overhear them praying, and wow, could they pray! I wanted to pray like they did. As I got older, I read others’ stories about praying. I would read books on praying. I would hear pastors proclaim the importance of praying, but it always felt like a duty. I was yet to discover the transformation that would happen in my life once I discovered the awesome privilege of talking to the Creator of the Universe.
And what I learned was that He actually cares about me! He wants me to talk to Him—everyday—like I would my best friend. Imagine that! And guess what? He cares about you, too!
As a person who strongly believes in the power of prayer, I can assure you prayer changes things! I’m living proof! I’m a walking miracle, literally!
In June 2022, I contracted COVID and over a week it became very bad. I was hospitalized with double pneumonia. On the third day of my hospitalization, the doctor delivered more bad news: a third form of pneumonia was found that was “very dangerous.” People all over the nation began praying for me. It was at the very moment that the doctor delivered the “bad news” that I began to improve—all because of prayer!
Begin today! Start praying! Just talk to God like you would your best friend. May it be said of you like it was of Daniel, “Yep, as usual, he/she is praying…just like always!”
