Acting and Praying

So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He declared to Arioch, the king's captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king. Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. (Daniel 2:13-19)

I'm really glad that all our Biblical heroes of faith aren't paragons of spirituality, always pictured spending hours on their knees before any decision. While I complete concur with the purported statement of John Wesley that "I have so much to do I must spend 3 hours in prayer", the reality of my life usually happens too quickly for such intense prayer times. In fact, often a hurried prayer is all I can manage before making a decision that could affect others as well as myself. Sometimes, not even that - the decision and prayer come hand-in-hand.

I don't say this to encourage a popcorn prayer life. In fact, I'm convinced that the times in our lives when we have to make decisions prior to or simultaneous with prayer are undergirded and supported by intense times in our prayer closet. There we learn His voice, so that when He guides us quickly we can recognize before we analyze. We KNOW Him experientially. He is real to us.

My husband is a former police officer and he was taught that "In stress you revert to training." Those times of prayer are "training" for times of stress. When I've been in life or death situations with others, I've seen this work: you discover more about yourself and your relationship with God because you are acting out of nature and habit more than reflection and prayer. And the beautiful thing is - it's okay! It's called walking in the Spirit, and it works.

Daniel showed this when he boldly offered to interpret the king's dream - a dream that was unrevealed. He steps out, acts on the life and death situation before him, and gets the chance he requests. But notice what he does next: He runs for his prayer team. And God answers.

I love those times when, like David, we can pray "before we go up" in each step of the way. But I also love that God showed us Daniel, who jumped into a situation then trusted God to follow through. And he is called a hero of faith. His prayer team was ready and they sprung into action. That's the other thing I learned; when was regularly facing life and death decisions, I had a prayer team that I knew was taking the time I couldn't in those moments. And it worked, every time.

You're on the field, and it is crucial for you to spend intimate time with God. But sometimes you are going to face decisions that can't wait. At those times, please have your prayer team lined up to pray for the follow-through on your decision. Ask them ahead of time to pray for your wisdom in those crucial moments. And know that it's okay.

God meets us in the moments. Not just those on our knees - but also those in the fray. Daniel is proof!