Why pray

4/11/2021

While reading this week my thoughts were led to the man Daniel. He was a young man doing the things a young man did when his country was overrun, and he became a prisoner; no he was not put in a cell like prisoners are today. He and three of his fellow countrymen were put in a school to educate them into the ways of their new country and people. The ruler of that country did not realize who he had with these four young men.

They were men that were raised believing in God. It was not a shallow faith; it was a deep abiding faith. I have heard a man preach about how we need God down in our DNA, these four are prime examples of what we can do IF we get God down in our DNA. They learned the ways and knowledge of their “new” world, however they never walked away from their belief in God. They even ate and drank only what God would approve.

God had a plan for all four of them. Three went through the fiery furnace while Daniel went a different way. God had a special plan just for him, just as He has for each one of us. Daniel was a praying man that was known for his dedication to prayer. He wanted God’s direction in all he did. He did not want to step away from God.

We know this because of his reputation of being a praying man. He kept turning to God for answers, guidance, and I believe he turned to God in praise and thanksgiving. He prayed so much that it angered the men around him enough that they wanted to get rid of him.

This brings me back to the question, Why Pray? Daniel’s life shows us that if we make God a priority in our lives, He will be with us even in the bad times that we face. If we put God first, He will see us through the tough times. If God is first in our lives, we will have the strength to stand for Him. The only way we can become the men and women of God that we need to be today is to be more like Daniel. We need to become prayer warriors. We need to be known as people who can be counted on to pray for needs when asked. We need to become Christians that others can depend on to pray.

Why pray? So that we can become the people that God wants us to be.

C.I. Wilson