I realize that I’m stating my age here, but I have fond memories of being with my parents when they would stop to get gas for their car. Nobody had to get out because the nice man in the white shirt and white cap would come to the driver’s side window with a smile on his face and ask, “Fill ‘er up?”
Back in those days, we didn’t call these places “gas stations.” We didn’t even call them “service stations,” even though each location had a garage where they could service your car or make minor repairs. No, these places were called “fillin’ stations,” because here was where you got your car filled up with gas.
As Christians attempting to live for God in an ungodly world, we need regular stops at a “fillin’ station” of our own. Representing Jesus to the world, when the world is increasingly hostile to all things Christian, requires a power that none of us have. We need God’s power, and that means stopping regularly to meet with God , allowing him to fill us with the power we need.
Believers need at least three habits in their lives, three things that open our hearts to all that God has for us. In the previous post, we talked about the need to regularly study and read and meditate on the Bible. The second habit we need is that of regularly spending time with God in prayer.
There’s a famous story in the Old Testament about Daniel, a godly man in an ungodly kingdom. King Darius was about to name Daniel second in command of his empire, which made the rest of the king’s men jealous. They wanted Daniel out of the way, and they knew that Daniel would never pray to the king, so they convinced King Darius to issue a law that anyone caught praying to anyone other than the king would be thrown into a den of lions. That would take care of Daniel.
For whatever reason, Darius signed the law. Then this happened:
But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. (Daniel 6:10 NLT)
Daniel’s enemies caught him praying to someone other than the king, so he was arrested and thrown into the lion’s den. God then intervened, and Daniel survived. It’s an incredible story about standing up for what you know is right even when the consequences are great. Do you have the faith of Daniel? Trust me, laws are coming to this country that will force us to choose whether to follow God or follow the law. Just pay attention to the news. Read Daniel 6 and ask yourself whether you’re ready to take a stand as Daniel did. And remember, God doesn’t promise to always shut the mouths of the lions.
But what I want to talk about are some words we just read but tend to ignore. The Bible says that Daniel prayed three times a day, just like he had always done.
Three times a day, probably for many years, Daniel stopped whatever he was doing to kneel before God in prayer. Daniel knew that to survive in a godless culture he needed that much time alone with God.
We know that we need habits in our lives. We need to brush our teeth, we need to exercise, and when we pull out in traffic, we need to look both ways and then back again before we proceed. (If you don’t do that, start doing it and you’ll thank me one day). We need good habits.
At some point in Daniel’s life, he decided to make it a habit to kneel before God in prayer three times a day. It seems like a fairly harmless decision. But then one day the lion’s den came calling.
Maybe you don’t think that spending time each day with God in prayer is a significant decision. But if you’re going to live for God in a godless world, there’s a lion’s den in your future. At some point, you’re going to need a foundation to lean on. You’re going to need supernatural strength. That won’t be the time to suddenly start praying. It’ll be time to lean into your faith in your Father whom you’ve spent so much time getting to know.
Take time each day to pray. There are all kinds of helps out there in how to organize your prayer time. Jesus did a pretty good job of teaching us how to pray in Matthew 6. One plan is to remember the word “PRAY,” as in Praise, Repent, Ask, and Yield. I usually spend some time yielding before I ask, but PRYA isn’t a word, and I can’t think of a better acronym.
Here’s what I do, but you come up with your style and plan:
Praise – worship God for who he is and for what he’s done for you. Ponder the characteristics of God, and make a list of things for which you’re thankful.
Repent – as God brings them to your mind, ask his forgiveness and turn away from any sins of action, sins of thought, sins of word, or sins of attitude.
Yield – surrender to God’s perfect will, acknowledging that his ways are always best, his answers are always best.
Ask – this is where you bring God your prayer requests, prayers for yourself and others after you’ve first surrendered all of your desires to him.
See, that spells PRYA, which isn’t a word, at least in English. So if you want to swap Yield and Ask, that’s ok, since that spells PRAY. If that kind of thing is important to you.
But whatever you do, make sure time with God in prayer is a part of your life every day. If you’re going to live for God in a godless world, you’ll need to come to the fillin’ station on a regular basis.
Just read this again this morning.I’m going to use it in our men’s small group today .Appreciate and love you brother!