AS HE HAD DONE BEFORE

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. —Daniel 6:10

After a group of jealous officials plotted to trip up Daniel by having his religious practice banned, his response was courageous and resolute.

He simply kept on praying and giving thanks to God three times a day, “just as he had done before.” His relationship with God was not dictated by his critics, by the decree of the king, or by the law of the empire. However, we might wonder why he insisted on continuing to pray so publicly. God would have still heard his prayers, even without the open windows. After all, Jesus would teach His disciples, “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them” (Matthew 6:5, NLT). Jesus was warning against performing a religious show, but Daniel prayed openly, knowing that his faithfulness was under scrutiny and under threat.

He was not putting on a show or using his religiosity to make a political point. Instead, he was praying faithfully “just as he had done before.” Yes, this required courage, but it was precisely his trust in God and his connection with Him that were the source of his courage. Perhaps Daniel knew that the plotters would eventually catch him out in some way, but he resolved that they would not curb his devotion and witness to the God he served.

It might be that he also remembered the courage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego standing before Nebuchadnezzar’s idol and was inspired to continue his own act of defiant faithfulness. Whatever his thinking, he continued to pray “just as he had done before.”