Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. (Dan. 6:10)
Imagine you are a pastor in a closed country. Your phone rings, it is the secret police. They order you to come to the police station without any explanation. When you show up, they tell you that you must check in at the station every ten days. You tell them you haven’t done anything wrong. You try to get an explanation. One of the officers tells you, “Just in case.”
For Darshaan (not his real name) this isn’t any imaginary scenario. It happened to him in the fall of 2015. His every move, phone call, and conversation were tracked and followed. Even though the government continues to watch him, he has no choice but to continue to serve God and his congregation.
When Daniel learned of the decree stating a punishment for those who pray to anyone but king Darius, Daniel went to his room with his windows open to pray, just as he had done before. Faithfulness means doing the things you’ve always done, regardless of what is going on around you, regardless (or sometimes because) of who may notice.
Daniel didn’t suddenly lean on God when difficult times came. When trouble came, he had already established a routine he could follow. We need to be faithful in the good times so that we can also be faithful in the hard times.
Establish your relationship with God now and be ready when trouble comes.
Jeff Hughes lives in Nebraska with his wife, Sarah, and their three kids. They spend weekends outdoors, hiking, camping, and skiing.
© 2017 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
