Prayer Under Pressure

For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. (Daniel 2:12-19)

There are times when pressure can feel almost overwhelming. Here, Daniel and his friends faced certain death through no fault of their own, but rather it was because of the circumstances and the decisions of others. Have you ever been in a similar situation - a crisis that wasn’t caused by your choices but it was caused by others? You can learn how to handle pressure by following the example of these Hebrew boys.When they received the tragic news of what was about to happen to them, Daniel didn’t panic. Verse 14 says that Daniel responded with “counsel and wisdom." The ability to stay calm amidst chaos is a clear indication of someone who is anchored in their understanding of God and their relationship with Him.

But Daniel also knew he wasn't alone in this fight. He immediately turned to his family of faith and gathered them together to pray. It was only after they prayed that Daniel knew what steps to take. The “secret revelation” came to Daniel after he prayed with fellow believers.

Practical Application

When facing pressure, handle it like Daniel. Walk in God’s peace, and pray with God’s people. When you don’t know what to do, trust that the Holy Spirit knows. 

Numbers 12:6; Job 33:15