ANSWERS TO BLANKS----INTRODUCTION: How powerful God is; I am taught the power of prayer and am inspired to learn to access the power of the Spirit of God in every circumstance of my life
What the Story Teaches: 1-- trouble and challenge; IMPORTANT? a. engaging in self-defeating pessimism. b. remember God c. calm me down d. inspiration and direction. 2—consistently; IMPORTANT? a. my life’s journey b. present in the moment c. faith 3—just to know God
INTRODUCTION:
• One way of looking at the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den: ________________________________________________________
• A possible new look at this old favorite story: ________________________________________________________
WHAT THE STORY OF DANIEL TEACHES me ABOUT PRAYER---
1—Pray in times of _______________ and __________________.
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Romans 12:8-10 NKJV
Why is it important for me to turn to God first?
a.--I avoid____________________________________________________________.
b.--It helps me to ______________________________________________________.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things. Psalm 103:2-5
c.-- It helps ___________________________________________________________.
d.-- I become more open to ______________________________________________.
2—Pray ___________________________________________________.
Why is it important For me to pray consistently?
a.---I am better prepared for _______________________________________.
b.—It helps to keep me ___________________________________________.
c.— It strengthens my ____________________________________________.
3—Pray_____________________________________________________.
Meister Eckhart – “We often treat God like a cow.”
Hans Küng – “My highest mission is to know God.”
Mother Teresa -- “True prayer is opening our heart until it is big enough to accept the gift of God.”
CONCLUSION: Daniel’s prayer life as a metaphor for my prayer life
• Daniel prayed in the upper room--at a higher level of spiritual maturity
• He prayed kneeling—he approached God with humility.
• He prayed with an open window—he was open and willing to listen to God.
• He prayed toward Jerusalem—he focused on the holy and the sacred.
MY ASSIGNMENT THIS WEEK:
Here’s something for you to do this week: if you find yourself in some lion’s den, if you find yourself in a situation that seems overwhelming, I invite you to remember Daniel’s example and turn to God in prayer immediately. Calm yourself and open yourself to receive the divine guidance.
I invite all of you to pray consistently this week no matter how busy—even if it’s just 2 minutes 3 times a day. Make a commitment today to do that every day this week. In that way you’ll keep yourself in the flow, you stay more present with less regret and worry. You will find that your faith is being strengthened. And the final invitation I give to you is to set aside time to pray to just know God. You will begin to experience joy and a purpose in life that is beyond words—you will begin to experience the mysterious in life.
So make that commitment like Daniel to be a praying fool—pray at all times in all things because when we pray we will have access to the kingdom and God will do as amazing things in our lives as he did for Daniel.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
