Today marks day 23 of this diet. Honestly, things are going pretty much the same as they have been. I cannot say I eagerly await every meal, but each time I eat I remind myself that I am doing what I believe God has led me to do.
I was thinking about Daniel this morning. I thought about how he prayed 3 times a day. I don't believe this was the same prayers we make over our meals. You know the ones. "Dear Lord, bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies. Amen." I believe Daniel prayed 3 times a day because He couldn't get enough of the Lord. I believe he prayed because he understood his need for the Lord and His power in Daniel's life. I am sure Daniel prayed fervently when he was first taken to Babylon. Here he was in a strange land. His parents were gone, very likely killed. He was left without much of his former life. Daniel prayed. And Daniel grew. He grew physically. He grew spiritually.
Daniel lived through the reign of Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. Daniel continued praying. Then along comes Darius. Darius must have been proud and he let his pride get in the way. When the edict from Darius came down that no one was to ask anything from any god or man other than the king for 30 days, Daniel prayed. Daniel's prayers over the years grew. I believe when this edict came from the king Daniel understood the very real danger to his life. Again, these prayers were no, "God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for our food. Amen." Daniel prayed as if his life depended on it, because it did! But Daniel was so in love with God that he couldn't pare down his praying to just one time a day. He certainly couldn't stop for 30 days. Daniel understood his need for God and God's direction in his life. I ask myself, "Am I that in love with God?" Sadly, I cannot say that I am. I think of many times where I think I am doing pretty good because I have my devotions every morning and shoot out the door to begin my day never to think of talking to the Lord again all day.
I have heard people say things like, "What would you do if you got the news that you have cancer?" I would say my answer to that question is: Pray like your life depends upon it. It does. There is no healing without the Great Physician. Doctors may use every tool at their disposal. Your cancer may be small and slow growing like mine. But without the Lord's approval there is no healing.
Back to Daniel. I wonder what his thoughts were on the morning he was to be thrown to the lions. That night that he would spend in Lion's Den Inn. This was no Holiday Inn he would be staying at. Those lion's were hungry. They were most likely only fed enough to allow them to survive. As Daniel hit the ground I imagine he was taken aback. The stone was already being shut over the mouth of the den. There was no light, and yet he must have expected something to happen. I imagine Daniel must have started praying again. This prayer however, was the most peaceful, quiet, prayer, free from fear, that he had prayed in a while. He didn't have to fear what would happen if he got caught talking to God this time.
But God wasn't finished. Have you ever asked yourself why God allowed Daniel to stay in the den all night? Why He didn't just walk him out of that den like He walked Paul out of prison. Or send an earthquake to destroy the lions while keeping Daniel safe. I can't say I know the reason myself, but I wonder if God was sending an extra blessing to Daniel when He sent an angel. Can you imagine Daniel and the angel sitting up fellowshipping for a few hours. Then the angel tells Daniel, "Hey, why don't you get a few hours sleep before they come get you in the morning. I've got things handled over here."
The next thing Daniel knew he was hearing the same angel telling him it was time to get up, that the king would be coming soon. Daniel sat up, stretched a bit, got his bearings and all of a sudden he found himself squinting at the sunlight as the stone was taken from the mouth of the den and he heard the voice of the king asking him if he was still alive. The Bible doesn't say all that, but it does tell us to pray without ceasing. It shows us through the lives of great men what can be accomplished when we pray. Will God heal me just because I ask Him to? I cannot answer that, but what I can say is that prayer never hurts. It always grows us just like it grew Daniel.
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