Daniel was determined to pray regularly, and it got him thrown into the lions' den (Daniel 6). But have you ever noticed how God answered his prayers?

In Daniel 9, we learn that Daniel had been reading Jeremiah's prophecy that the exile of the Israelites was supposed to end after 70 years. So Daniel prayed that God would not delay the end of the captivity. He confessed Israel's sin and asked for God's intervention.

Then, while Daniel was still praying, God not only sent an answer but He also sent His angel Gabriel to deliver it. Daniel said, "While I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel,. . . being caused to fly swiftly, reached me" (v.21). In other words, before Daniel had even finished his prayer, God heard it and immediately sent Gabriel with the answer (vv.22-23).

Yet, on another occasion when Daniel prayed, Scripture tells us that the messenger God sent with the answer took three weeks to arrive (10:12-13).

We can learn important lessons from Daniel about how God answers our prayers today. Sometimes God sends the answer immediately. Sometimes the answer is delayed. Either way, He always answers. God answers our prayers in one of four ways – Yes, No, Wait, and Hear is something better.

Do you trouble getting your prayer life in gear? Martin Luther has some thoughts on that. Read what he had to say below.

"There are two major obstacles to prayer. The first obstacle arises when the devil prompts you to think, ") am not yet prepared to pray. ) should wait for another half-hour or another day until ) have become more prepared or until ) have finished taking care of this or that." Meanwhile, the devil distracts you for half an hour, so that you no longer think about prayer for the rest of the day. From one day to the next, you are hindered and rushed with other business. This common obstacle shows us how maliciously the devil tries to trick us. . . .

"The second obstacle arises when we ask ourselves, "How can you pray to God…? You are too unworthy and sin every day. Wait until you are more devout. You might be in the mood to pray now, but wait until you have confessed your sin taken the Lord's Supper so that you can pray more fervently and approach God with confidence. Only then can you really...from your heart." This serious obstacle crushes us like a heavy stone. Despite our feelings of unworthiness, our hearts must struggle to remove this obstacle so that we can freely approach God and call upon him."

Ok now, no more excuses!

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Satan and Prayer

Mark 14:38 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (NIV)

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Prayer – what a great possession it is. Prayer can calm the storms of life, move the mountains of difficulty, sooth jangled nerves, lead us into greater depths of worship, open our hearts to God, and so much more. One man wrote the following:

"My dad was a very busy man who traveled all over the world. In order to get him at work, you had to go through a switchboard unless you knew the private number that rang a phone right on his desk. He gave the number to a few select business partners, but all of his children had it. We knew we could call him any time on that direct line.

"I have the same thing. The church has provided me with a private line. It rings right on my desk. A few board members and elders have it for emergency purposes. My kids have that number. To maximize time, I have a car phone. Only a few people have that number, but my kids have it. They can call me any time, for anything. You know what? No voices sound sweeter to me than my kids' voices. When one of them says, "Hi, Dad," it won't matter what I'm juggling, because they are an absolute priority. No ones voice sounds sweeter to God than your voice. "Hello, Father." There's nothing going on in the cosmos that would keep Him from directing His full attention to your conversation or your request."

How about it, how vibrant is your prayer life?

Answered Prayer

An old hymn of the church goes like this:

"I must tell Jesus all of my trials,

I cannot bear these burdens alone;

In my distress He kindly will help me,

He even loves and cares for His own."

Warren W. Wiersbe wrote,

"Your father wants to answer prayer. If you are abiding in Christ, and if his Word abides in you, then you will pray in his will and he will answer. "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14). It has well been said that prayer is not getting man's will done in heaven, but getting God's will done on earth. It is not overcoming God's reluctance but laying hold of God's willingness.

"What a joy it is to have God answer prayer! What confidence it gives you to know that you can take "everything to God in prayer" and he will hear and answer! He does not always give us what we ask, but he does give us what we need, when we need it. This is one of the evidences of abiding."

Have you gone to your Heavenly Father yet today in prayer?

There was once a woman of great prayer. She has received countless answers from God, but sometimes she’s disheartened because certain prayers for loved ones remain unanswered. Yet she keeps on praying, encouraged by the parable in Luke 18. This story features a widow who badgered a heartless judge for help and finally got it.

Jesus ended His parable with a question: If an unrighteous and disrespectful judge finally answers a pestering widow's pleas for help, shall not God answer His own children who cry to Him day and night? (vv.7-8). The expected answer: "Of course He will!"

George Muller (1805-1898) is known for his faith and persistent prayer. Whenever he prayed for specific needs for his orphanage, God sent exactly what was required. Yet for more than 40 years he also prayed for the conversion of a friend and his friend's son. When Muller died, these men were still unconverted. God answered those prayers, however, in His own time. The friend was converted while attending Muller's funeral; the son, a week later!

Do you have a special burden or request? Keep on praying! Trust your loving Father to answer according to His wisdom and timing. God honors persistent prayer!

When we pray for others, we become partners with God in His work of salvation, healing, comfort, and justice. God can accomplish those things without us, but in His plan He gives us the privilege of being involved with Him through prayer.

When we intercede for a grandson in trouble, a mother having surgery, a neighbor who needs Christ, or a pastor who needs we are asking God to that person what we can't provide. We are acting as go-betweens, asking God to direct His power in a specific direction. In his classic book titled Prayer, Olan Hallesby described how it works: "This power is so rich and so mobile that all we have to do when we pray is point to the person or thing to which we desire to have [God's] power applied, and He, the Lord of this power, will direct the necessary power to the desired place." This assumes, of course, that we are praying "according to [God's] will" (1 John 5:14). Prayer is not a magic wand for satisfying our wishes, but it's an opportunity to work with the Lord in accomplishing His purposes. James told us that "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16). So let's humbly and earnestly pray for one another.

As someone put it, “The most powerful position on earth is kneeling before the Lord of the universe.”

What is prayer? How would you describe or define it? I like what someone once said, and that is that prayer is a conversation between two people who are in love with each other.

The disciples often saw Jesus in prayer. One day they asked Him to teach them how to pray. His prayers must have been powerful, elegant, and personal. He taught them that the first thing to do is address God directly, to be specific in the salutation, to know what the word “God” means, and to call Him what He is. His instruction is found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11.

Prayer acknowledges the personal nature of your relationship to God through Jesus Christ. He is a Friend with Whom you can share and in Whom you can confide. Through prayer you speak to God and He speaks to you in an inaudible voice to your heart. The strength of your prayer comes from the intensity of your bond with Him.

When you talk to God, you talk with Someone you know well and with whom you have a deep relationship. When was the last time you spoke with this dear Friend?

As the post-Pentecost church mushroomed in size in Jerusalem, administrative duties absorbed more and more of the apostles' time and attention. The oversight of food distribution was a case in point. So they had the church elect seven men to handle such duties. Was this because the apostles weren't willing to serve? No, it was because they didn't have time to pray and minister the Word (Acts 6:4).

While churches today are air conditioned, the church in Jerusalem was prayer conditioned. The apostles were committed to bathing in prayer everything the early church undertook for the Lord. They prayed about who should replace Judas as the twelfth apostle (Acts 1:24), performed miracles through prayer (Acts 9:40), defeated Satan through prayer (Acts 12:5), and sent out missionaries by prayer (Acts 13:3). Stephen was even praying as he was martyred for his faith (Acts 7:59-60). The church was birthed in prayer and continues today through prayer. Ask yourself: When was the last time I stopped doing something because it didn't leave enough time for prayer?

Air conditioning is a luxury, but prayer conditioning is a necessity. Which one have you found most easy to live without?

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken. --Acts 4:31

Peter and John were in danger. The religious leaders in Jerusalem opposing the gospel had warned them to stop their missionary efforts (Acts 4:18). When the apostles reported this to the other believers, they immediately held a prayer meeting.

What happened next is thrilling. The believers first praised God. Then they asked for boldness that they might continue the work. The results were dramatic. The house shook, and the believers were filled with the Spirit. They boldly witnessed (vv.31,33), and enjoyed spiritual unity (v.32). They gave unselfishly to those in need (vv.32,34-37).

I don't know about you but I never felt a building shake at a prayer meeting, but I have seen God's power at work. When trying to help repair a broken life or burdensome situation I've asked those involved to pray. Sometimes they refused. Other times they mumbled carefully worded prayers. The meeting failed.

But occasionally someone would pray in earnest. Almost immediately the atmosphere would change. Confession and forgiveness soon replaced charges and countercharges.

When we pray sincerely, praising God and presenting Him with petitions that seek His glory, great things happen. But first we must pray from the heart.