Day Twenty: Worship Through Prayer
Daniel 6:10,
…three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Yesterday and today’s devotion really go hand in hand. In the time Jesus spent in solitude, we see him praying to God. This constant time with God showed us the necessity of being in constant communication with God and the dependency on his heavenly father. Even the disciples picked up on this inner-dependence between Jesus and the heavenly father. In Luke 11:1 after seeing Jesus conclude one of those times of solitude in prayer, one of the disciples asks, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Now in my flesh, of all the things I could ask to be taught by Jesus, I think I would have asked how to perform miracles. We witness such an occasion when Simon the Sorcerer asked for such a selfish demand and it revealed his true passion or lust. Yet the disciples learned that prayer was the real power behind everything Jesus did. His will was to do the will of the Father and prayer was necessary in everything Jesus did. We see it at his baptism (Luke 3:21), choosing his disciples (Luke 6:12), Feeding the 5,000 (John 6:11), raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41), and even while on the cross (Luke 23:34) but these aren’t the only times—there are many more instances.
Every time we sing a praise song, in all honesty, we are singing a prayer to God. They may not be your words and prescribed to us by the worship leader, however, I certainly add my amen to them when I sing them. There are many times when praying with groups that someone prays something I wholeheartedly agree with and wish I had phrased. For me, worship songs are that same in that they may be someone else’s words but I sing them with a conviction as if they were my very own.
Daniel understood this life of prayer and honored God with his continual prayers each day and giving thanks to Him. He worshiped God with persistence and prayer. Even when the culture forbade him to do so, he would not stop praising God through prayer. Because of this persistence, Daniel witnessed many miracles and was greatly used by God.
Reading: Daniel 6; Luke 11:1-13; Psalm 4
Song: Sanctus Real – Pray