Day 23 — Daniel Kept Praying

“Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”

— Daniel 6:10 (BSB)

Many years had passed since Daniel first came to Babylon. Now he was an old man, and a new king named Darius was on the throne. Daniel did such an excellent job that the king planned to put him in charge of the whole kingdom.

But some of the other officials were jealous. They wanted to get rid of Daniel. They watched him closely, looking for anything he did wrong, but they couldn’t find anything. Daniel was honest and faithful in everything.

So they came up with a sneaky plan. They said, “The only way we’ll catch him is through his faithfulness to his God.” They tricked King Darius into signing a new law: For thirty days, nobody could pray to any god or person except the king. Anyone who disobeyed would be thrown into a den of lions!

What did Daniel do when he heard about the law? Look at the verse. He went home, knelt by his window facing Jerusalem, and prayed and gave thanks to God three times a day, “just as he had done before.”

He didn’t hide. He didn’t stop. He didn’t even change his schedule. He kept doing what he’d always done.

Why could Daniel be so brave in that moment? Because he had been praying three times a day for years. His habit of prayer had built something strong inside him. When the big test came, he didn’t have to find courage all of a sudden. His faith had been growing strong, day after day, prayer after prayer.

Daniel’s enemies caught him, and he was thrown into the lions’ den. But God sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths. The next morning, Daniel came out without a scratch!

Here’s the lesson: the habits you build now will hold you up later. If you get into the habit of praying and reading God’s Word every day, you’ll be ready when hard times come. Courage in big moments comes from faithfulness in small ones.

Think about it: What spiritual habits are you building right now? Are they strong enough to hold you up in a hard time?

Try this: Pick a set time each day to pray, like when you wake up, after school and before bed. Try Daniel’s “three times a day” for the next week.

Dear God, thank You for Daniel’s faithfulness. Help me build strong habits of prayer and reading Your Word now, so that I’ll be ready when hard times come. Make me faithful in small things, so I can be brave in big things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.