TITLE: PRAYERS DON’T ALWAYS MAKE THINGS BETTER, BUT MAKE US BETTER

TITLE: PRAYERS DON’T ALWAYS MAKE THINGS BETTER, BUT MAKE US BETTER

SCRIPTURE:

“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. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”  13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.  15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”  16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” (Daniel 6:10—16 NIV)

OBSERVATION:

          A decree was published and signed by the king that anyone found praying to a god other than King Darius would be punished severely. Daniel did not know of the decree because jealous satraps and other palace officials cooked it to damage Daniel. When Daniel found out about the decree, he went home to his prayer room, opened the windows toward Jerusalem, and prayed. Three times a day, he knelt and prayed, giving thanks to God as he had done before. 

          The jealous satraps and palace officials, who wanted to find fault with Daniel, went to his house and found him in his prayer room praying and asking for God’s help. They reported what Daniel had done to the king, and he was ordered to receive the severest punishment fit for anyone who broke the king’s decree. 

          People often pray to God, always expecting God’s yes. I have learned throughout the years that God does not always give a yes answer to prayers. In fact, most of his answers are often no because many things that I ask of God are purely out of selfish motivation. If we are honest, most of our prayers are not about God’s will but about our desires. 

          It’s quite interesting that Daniel prayed three times a day and asked God for help, and he got thrown into the lion’s den.  That was definitely the answer that Daniel was not hoping for.  Here are some of my takeaways from Daniel’s response to the challenges he faced:

• When faced with any challenges in our lives, go to your prayer closet.  Commit all your challenges to the Lord. 
• Prayer may not necessarily change our circumstances, but it will changes us. 
• We will not always have the answer that we want. 
• Sometimes we pray and things gets worse, keep praying. 
• Sometimes, the answer to our prayers is not what we want, but it is what God is planning for our good and a more significant outcome for his purpose in our situation. 
• It doesn’t matter how long we pray, how we pray, prayer will always accomplish God’s purpose as he sees it fit in our lives. 

These great lessons taught me not to give up on prayer but to always trust God when his answers to my prayers are not what I want or wish for. Prayer is our communication with God, but we must trust how he responds to us. 

APPLICATION: 

I will trust God and let him answer my prayers as he sees fit. Like many, I always look for a yes answer from God. However, I am learning and will continue to learn that God will always answer prayers based on his love for me, what is good for me, and what accomplishes his purpose.  So, I will keep praying despite the outcome. 

PRAYER:

          Father, thank you for reminding me of the importance of prayer.  Please help me to always run to you first when I face challenges too great for me.  I pray that you continue to show yourself strong and powerful in the midst of all that I face in life.  Thank you for reminding me of the power of prayers.  Please help me to trust you and all the answers that you give are fitting for all my challenges.  I pray all these in the name of Jesus.  Amen!