In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision. At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. Daniel 10:1-3 NIV

Daniel was serious about prayer. When Daniel received the revelation about a great war, he knew things were serious. He knew this was a situation that would require the hand of God. Daniel didn't worry about it, but he deliberately made the matter the focus of his attention for three weeks. He prayed until He had an answer from God.

How persistent are you and I in our prayers? When we face a major challenge in life, how do we respond? Do we throw up a quick sentence prayer, then take matters in our own hands by trying to fix things? Or, like Daniel, do we make the situation a matter of real concern before God, pouring out our heart to Him, fasting and praying until we receive His response?

I need to tell you that not every situation in our life requires the desperate measures that Daniel used. God does allow us to make certain decisions in life, such as what color car we drive, what brand of cereal we eat, and many times, even what job we will have. Under the grace of God, we have such a wide lattitude of freedom to make choices, and God equips us with wisdom to make Godly decisions. God's main concern is always about who we are in our heart, since God looks first at the heart.

There are those matters in life, however, that require the direct input from God. Those life-changing decisions, which have the potential to affect our spiritual character or the lives of other Christians, are matters which require a leading from God. At those times, we need to commit everything we have to God in prayer and the reading of scripture, until God provides for us His answer.

Daniel waited upon God, and, as we will see tomorrow, God provided him an answer. As you and I wait upon God, He will do the same for us.

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Mustard Seed Ministry is reaching around the world with Biblical truths. The ministry is designed to spur the Christian from the smallest amount of faith, onto spiritual growth and maturity. This ministry goes places the church cannot enter. If you would like to support the work of this ministry, send contributions to Mustard Seed Ministry, PO Box 3698, Clarksville, TN 37043, or through Pay Pal (www.paypal.com) to ron.mustardseed@Christweb.com email address.