Busted

We continually read in the paper about drug busts. They are caught in the act and found guilty.  In the book of Daniel we read of a man busted for serving the Lord. Although limited somewhat in public places, we still have the freedom to pray. If we were busted for our spiritual life would there be enough evidence to convict us? Would we be busted for praying, guilty and caught in the act? Are we that engaged in our life with the Lord?

Daniel 6:9 “Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. 10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”

A strange decree was signed with a design behind it. The king was maneuvered into signing it. It’s important to see the intent of this decree. It was simply made to stop God’s people from praying. It was to coerce them and make them afraid to pray. Praying was outlawed. It is not outlawed here in this church or on an individual basis. However, the devil has already decreed that it be stopped. Of all the basics of Christianity our prayer life that gives us the most difficulty.  Satan fights us in our desire to come to church and reading the Bible, but the greatest effort is to stop our prayer life. He knows it is vital to our connection and communication with the Lord. Prayer is more than words; it is a state of being-turning to and seeking God.  We must give it our time. It is for thanksgiving and praise and a way to get to know our Lord. We can feel God hearing our prayers through his voice in our heart. It is simply our conversation with God.

Although a captive in Babylon, Daniel maintained his identity as a Hebrew and child of God. His enemies didn’t like it. They couldn’t stop God from caring for the Hebrews but they could sabotage the people who trusted in the Lord. The devil doesn’t need a law; he sabotages us making us feel we can’t pray and there is no use in it. He tells us we don’t have time. He will and does use every tactic he can to keep us away from prayer. No matter how strong a prayer life we’ve had in the past, we can slip from it; we will then fall apart. Whatever we have to face in life, even to our last breath we can talk to God.

We’re all good at talking. Why do we have trouble talking to God?  Sometimes we can’t think of anything to say. It’s the devil and we have to overcome it. Daniel had a choice. He could be obedient to the law or cross the line and commit the crime of praying. It’s not our concern to abide by “laws” Satan lays down. Don’t read the Bible. Don’t pray. Don’t go to church. We don’t have to obey these laws of the devil.  David paid no attention. He had sworn allegiance to a greater King. As strong as he was, Daniel saw his continual need to pray. If there was ever an earthly reason to stop praying, here it was. Daniel saw it otherwise. He knew prayer was his survival and of his people’s return to Israel. So what if another law was made or enforced. Daniel continued as before the decree. He didn’t put up a sign or go demonstrate. He simply did what he normally did. Serving the Lord publicly is a result of private praying. There is no need to put prayer back in school if we don’t pray at home. We have no right to speak of it publicly if we don’t do it privately.

Daniel prayed as was his usual habit. He opened his windows. It was not out of the ordinary, not something he deliberately did. It’s what he did the day before, the week before, the years before. During his day he was constantly in touch with God, but there were three special times of prayer each day. He opened his windows toward Zion and no matter if friend or foe was below or if the weather was bad, he did not change his prayer time.

Time has made a change in all of us. The only thing that should change about our prayer life is that we do it more and do it better. Keep calling on God, not to be seen or in rebellion. Even though the enemy was deliberate, Daniel did not talk to God by show. Our wish should be to pray and pay attention to our times of prayer so that we keep calling on the Lord.

There was a prayer bust. They had a raid. What did Daniel do? Jump out the window and run? No. He didn’t stop. He kept on praying. It put him in a den of lions. They couldn’t shut Daniel’s mouth, but God could and did shut the lions’ mouths.

Do you have a good prayer relationship with God? If the devil did a prayer bust, would you be guilty?  Would you be caught in the act?  A good altar prayer would be “Lord, help me pray as I should.” Like the disciples said, maybe it’s time to for us to say “Lord teach me to pray.”