Daniel’s Courage

Daniel’s Courage

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”

Daniel 6:10

My work has been stressful for many months now. My team is responsible for a new technology that is going into most of the new products (printers) in my division of a Fortune 500 company. We have a deadline approaching that if we miss will be catastrophic to my company. We don’t know the answer to our technical problems. It is not a matter of working hard enough to eventually complete all the work but a matter of the brain power to find the solution to make it function properly.

I asked God what He wants me to learn from this pressure that happens year after year. Why do my programs have crisis right before start of production? God unveiled to me one of the most pivotal things of my life.

I attended a meeting where an executive was retiring from the company to work in full time ministry. He talked about how in one difficult meeting that he just stopped engaging in the conversation and prayed. The entire meeting was completely different from that point forward.

I told God, “You know, God, that I am praying. I’m praying before work with my face to the floor. I’m praying during meetings. I’m praying in my office with Christian co-workers for this team. I’m praying for You, the Great Designer, All Knowing Engineer, to download the technical solution to my team’s mind because I know You can do so at anytime that You choose.” The Lord burned in me that those prayers were good, but He didn’t call me to be indistinguishable in the workplace.

After the meeting, I told my friend Nicole that God really was speaking to me about this prayer thing. I couldn’t figure out what He wanted me to do. I was doing what that executive had done. As I worked it out with her, I told her that I knew that my prayer warrior friend and mentor would be on her knees in the meetings praying with her hands in the air, but I have more on the line than that woman. I am the sole provider for my family. But if I don’t do more prayer openly, then I am denying who I am. I cannot forsake my identity any more.

Then God reminded me of Daniel. You see, Daniel was one of three administrators to King Darius. In other words, King Darius was the CEO, and Daniel was the president of the division. Daniel was stuck in Babylon and had no other place to get a job. The jealous satraps sought to lay a plan to bring charges against him. They knew there was no corruption in him. Daniel was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. So they had to find a charge that had to do with the law of his God (Daniel 6:5).

So the satraps connived and tricked King Darius into issuing an edict that could not be revoked by the law of the Persians. For 30 days people could only pray to the King. Anyone who prayed to another god or man would be thrown into the lion’s den. Daniel didn’t pray in secret. Daniel didn’t cower in his room, shut the door, and pull down the blinds. Daniel went to his room, opened his windows, and prayed three times a day like he always did.

So I said, “Okay, I get it, Lord. It is not good enough for me to pray silently in a meeting. It is not good enough for me to pray in my prayer time at home and behind closed doors with other Christian coworkers about this problem.” I played out the worst case scenario like I always do until I decided that if I lose my job, I lose my job. If my lifestyle structure has to change because I was true to who I am in Christ, then it is time for a change.

So I prayer walked seven times around the lab. I laid hands on every printer. When people asked what I was looking at in the machine, I courageously said, “I’m not looking at anything. I’m praying.” You see, I am not an electrical engineer. I’m a mechanical engineer and a project manager. I don’t have the technical skills to solve this electrical problem. It’s not my strength, but my strength is that I AM A Mighty Prayer Warrior! When I get on my knees, the kingdom of darkness trembles because the Holy Spirit resides in me. Not on my own abilities, but because of who I am in Christ, I can make petitions to the God of the universe with pure motives and in great faith, and He moves the mountains!

Of course, you know what happened. My team lead said that he had divine inspiration as to what the problem was. My prayers are more effective than any other engineering or managerial skill that I could use.

My culture will not crush my identity anymore. I will be me! In Jerusalem, the Muslims are called to pray to Allah three times a day. The call goes out where you can hear it throughout the city. They have more freedom than we do in the United States to pray. Well, I’m tired of believing that I do not have religious freedom. I’m tired of the oppression of the enemy, and I’m not going to take it anymore. Just like Daniel was not confrontational but merely himself, I will be me in the workplace. I hope God irritates you with this one until you are willing to join me in the adventure of Daniel’s courage to pray!

Pray with me: Oh, God, give me the courage to open my windows and pray in the places where I have believed the lies and have been oppressed. Let my courage be shown. Don’t let me fall into the trap of being confrontational in an ungodly way. Just let me be the mighty prayer warrior that I am in the workplace.

Maybe through my courage, unbelievers will stop thinking that there is nothing appealing about being a Christian and that they would rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. You are attractive! You are the great adventure! Give me more boldness! It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.

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