“…the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.” —Daniel 6:7, 10

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Through the discipline of prayer, we do many things. We sit in God’s presence. We seek the Lord’s provision and deliverance. We listen for the wisdom of the Almighty. During the Babylonian exile, the Israelite Daniel’s prayers were more than that. As he endured the struggles of exile and assimilation into Babylonian culture, Daniel prayed routinely throughout the day to declare that his God was the true king.

Daniel was committed to regular prayer, and his prayers were an act of defiance. Through his commitment to pray throughout the day, Daniel declared that he would not submit to the Babylonian culture. He would stop, bow down before the Lord, and offer his praise to God no matter what. He would not be too busy or get overwhelmed by the habits of others around him. He was obedient to continue praying three times a day, and his refusal to give in to the patterns of the world kept the lions’ mouths shut.

Praying the Divine Office, praying three times a day, or praying at the top of every hour can be a stretching and humbling discipline. For many people, this is not a practice we are familiar with. Yet, when we commit ourselves to regularly scheduled times of prayer throughout the day, we are standing in opposition to the busyness, greed, and selfishness of the worldly culture. We declare that right now, God is more important than what we are doing, and we praise him.

Growth Challenge

Make a commitment this day or this week to pray at set times throughout your day. Pick a goal that will stretch you but not be unrealistic. You can choose to pray 1 additional time during your day, you can choose to pray every hour on the hour, or anything in-between. Set an alarm/reminder on a device, and pray in whatever manner best helps you connect with the Lord when the time comes. You can commit to 5 minutes of silence & listening prayer, praying Scripture, or spontaneous words of worship — whatever works for you. Your goal is to stop your routine, declare that the Lord is bigger than your work, and connect with a God who loves you.

If you would like to investigate outside resources to help with this discipline, please consider:
-The Divine Office (available as an app and in various forms online)
-The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle, © Image, 2006