Daniel 6:10
“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open towards Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.”
Habits can be good or bad. For instance, checking your social media at the dinner table is a bad habit while answering emails or messages in a timely manner can be a good habit. Habits are repetitive behavioural patterns that one develops either consciously or subconsciously that are repeated on a regular basis. Developing a habit of prayer is a good thing. It is part of what I call God-tracking.
Another word for habit is tradition. Now, as Christians I don’t believe that our worship of God should be traditional. Rather, we base our worship on scripture. But in scripture, we see a precedent for godly traditions (or habits) that are wise to follow. For instance, the Jews prayed three times per day: morning prayer (called Shacharit), noon prayer (called Minchah) and evening prayer (called Maariv).
We see a precedent for this habit of prayer in the Bible. Daniel prayed three times a day and that’s why he ended up in the lion’s den. In Acts, we notice that most of the miracles occurred at these three times. For example, the healing of the cripple man at the Gate Beautiful in Acts 3, and it was during noon prayer that Peter received the vision of the sheet from heaven that God used to show him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Thus, began world evangelism.
What a great idea to develop a new habit of prayer – acknowledging God three times a day. I encourage you to set aside a few minutes in the morning, at noon and in the late afternoon to stop whatever you are doing and simply acknowledge the Lord’s presence. He is with you 24/7. No need for long protracted payers, merely stop and turn away from your computer or activity to quieten your thoughts and focus on Jesus.
What a great idea for a good new habit – praying three times a day. I encourage you to set aside a few minutes in the morning, at noon and in the late afternoon to stop whatever you are doing and simply acknowledge the Lord’s presence.
Truth be told, I have set a reminder on my phone to buzz at 9.00am, 12.00pm and 3.00pm every day to prompt me to quieten my thoughts and pray. After all, all we are and all we do in this life should reflect God’s glory. So why not acknowledge His company often and develop a new habit of prayer.
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Prayer
Lord help me to develop a habit of prayer. Help me to remember to acknowledge You and seek Your face in the morning, at noon and in the afternoon
“O Lord, thank You that You will never, never leave me or forsake me. Therefore, I know You are with me wherever I am, 24/7. I want to develop a new habit to stop and pray at least 3 times every day. Help me to be disciplined to do this. Help me to remember to acknowledge Your company and seek your glory in the morning, at noon and in the afternoon. Praise you that, in Christ, I have the privilege to approach Your throne at any time. Thank You, because of Christ, I have the fellowship of Your Spirit with me all day long. I am Yours, Lord. All that I have and all that I do in life is for your glory alone. Amen.”
What is GodTracker?
GodTracker is a weekly e-mail devotional written by Dudley Anderson. The series is based on the premise that God has a plan for our lives and His Word calls us to seek that plan by acknowledging Him in all our ways and by tracking His purposes, in faith.
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If you’d like Dudley to pray for you, email him at dudley@surereality.net .
Also read: God-tracking is expecting miracles of our God
Dudley Anderson
Originally from South Africa, Dudley Andersen now lives in the UK where he heads up Sure Reality Media and pastors Cornerstone Family Church in Worcestershire. He is married to Karen-Leigh and has two children, Kerryn and Ryan. Dudley has a background in radio and has worked for Radio Pulpit, Impact Radio and Christian Vision. Since 2005 he has produced diverse content for various Christian stations. He is the author of God-Tracking Through the Year and Overflowing Hope and writes a weekly e-mail devotional called, GodTracker. Dudley is also a worship leader.
