Daniel's prayer schedule

Psalm 55:17 (KJV) reads,

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

That prayer "schedule" sounds similar to what appears in chapter 6 of Daniel. When King Darius signs a law requiring everyone to pray only to him, a defiant Daniel maintains his (evidently) already-existent prayer schedule (Daniel 6:10, KJV),

He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God.

As punishment, Daniel then gets thrown into the lion's den, where ultimately he is saved by God.

There is nothing magical about praying three times per day. There certainly is nothing in God's commandments that specifies that particular number. Yet, by establishing a prayer "schedule" like that, a person gets closer to satisfying Paul's admonition to "pray without ceasing."

So, perhaps it makes sense for us to attempt something similar. Let us find three times throughout the day to set aside for prayer.

What we left behind

In the bible, ancient Egypt appears to represent a state in which we all find ourselves. While residing in Egypt, the Israelites were prosperous, they were luxurious, they were safe. But they were not free. They then left that world for the far-less-glamorous reality of life wondering through the desert.

Likewise, our lives of sin might bring earthly pleasures and treasures, but we are captive to that sin. In leaving those lives of sin, we enter into a different world, one where we must rely upon God's protection.

But leaving those lives of sin inevitable involves the occasional "looking back." In Numbers 20:5 (KJV), the Israelites grumble to Moses,

Wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.

Note that those items listed are all earthly delights. Important ones, sure, especially in the case of water. But this grumbling for earthly items shows a lack of trust in God.

We fall into this same mindset. And when we do, we should recall the words of David in Psalm 56:11-13 (KJV),

In God have I put my trust ... for thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

Foresee evil, and hide

Remaining with the pursuit of "wisdom" from the book of Proverbs, the verse presented in Proverbs 22:3 (KJV) holds an important life lesson. It reads,

A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Every single moment of every single day, sin lurks in our path. This verse encourages us, with the guidance of God, to be our own spiritual coach. We should make an effort to "foresee the evil," and then once we identify it, we should "hide ourselves" from it.

On the contrary, those who lack wisdom "pass on," meaning they do not seek to avoid the evil. And then they must suffer the consequences.

It's a relatively simple verse, but one that should guide our actions throughout every day.