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.
Daniel 6:10

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When was the last time you reminded yourself to breathe? You inhale and exhale all the time. It happens naturally, by design, because your Designer intended it that way. You take in oxygen; you release carbon dioxide. It’s a natural life-giving, life-sustaining, healing, restorative process that you don’t usually need to think about. Like the rising and setting of the sun or the high and low pattern of ocean tides, breathing has an inherent rhythm to it. You don’t need to add it to your daily routine because it’s always there, ever present and happening by God’s will. But sometimes, our rhythm gets rocked, and a routine is needed to reset the system.

For followers of Jesus, prayer should be like breathing. Inhale God’s truth; exhale agreement with His divine attributes and purposes. Inhale God’s conviction; exhale acceptance of His love, forgiveness, and redirection. Inhale God’s Word and will; exhale alignment with His perspective and plans. If we prayed naturally on our own, Christ wouldn’t need to teach us to talk with God (Matt. 6:9-13). The prophet Daniel lived over 500 years before Jesus, and he knew the posture of rhythm and routine in prayer. Long before his political and cultural climate got even more rocky, he prayed throughout the day. Daniel rhythmically and routinely turned his eyes and ears toward heaven regardless of, and especially in response to, whatever he saw or heard in the streets of Babylon. I wish the same could be said of me more of the time.

Current events are never a mystery to the Lord, and most we never hear of, speak of, or care about. Those closer to home hit our hearts differently and can interrupt our breathing rhythm. Happy ones—like newborn babies and heroic acts—take our breath away. But we hold our breath over personal and global matters—wars, human trafficking, famine, divorce, cancer, unemployment, economics, religion, and politics. In the face of what’s tenuous or potentially terrible, we need to keep our breathing on track, physically and spiritually. Like Daniel, Jesus, and centuries of Christians, establishing a rhythm and routine of prayer can revive us, bringing closeness to God, a godly perspective and pervasive peace both in and beyond us. Will you join me and our church in rediscovering the discipline of prayer?

Next Steps

In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster writes: “Real prayer is life creating and life changing. …In prayer, real prayer, we begin to think God’s thoughts after Him: to desire the things He desires, to love the things He loves, to will the things He wills.” Follow Daniel’s example today and tomorrow. Set aside three 10-minute windows of time to pray. Schedule it on your calendar if that helps. Don’t worry about what you and God will talk about. Just share what’s on your heart and let His heart speak to yours.