Daniel 6:10 (NIV)

10 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.

Scripture records that there were three set hours when Jews would stop what they were doing to get on their knees and pray. They didn’t have clocks, so those times were set by the sun; the third hour (three hours after sunrise), the sixth hour (noon), and the ninth hour (three hours after noon). Jesus and the disciples would surely have maintained this practice. The disciples were praying together during the third hour when the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost (Acts 2:15). Peter was praying during the 6th hour when he had the vision to bring the gospel to the gentiles (Acts 10:9). Peter and John were on their way to pray at the temple for the 9th hour, “at the time of prayer”, when they healed a man lame from birth (Acts 3:1). 

How much do we miss out on because we don’t slow down enough to connect with God through prayer? How often has the Holy Spirit been waiting to fill us with His presence and power at the third hour, but we were too focused on work? How many divine appointments were missed and people didn’t hear the gospel because we were ordering some fries or eating a burger? What if God was just waiting to bring healing and hope to someone who has been struggling for their entire life, but you missed the opportunity because you were only thinking about getting home?

We don’t pray out of religious duty or because God demands it of us. He doesn’t need our prayer, we do. Prayer is the primary way that we connect and partner with God, and we need so much more of Him. Above all, imagine the beauty of dwelling in God’s presence throughout the day!

Your turn:

• This week we will pray the daily hours. 

• Set an alarm on your phone for 9am, noon, and 3pm. 

• When the alarm goes off, find a spot to get on your knees (if possible) and pray. 

• Feel free to pray for as long as you would like, but the point of this is consistency, not length. 

• You might want to start with the Lord’s Prayer or Psalm 23.

• If you are not able to pause to pray, just take a moment to turn your attention to God and welcome into your moment.

If you miss one of the hours, don’t stress about it. God cares about the prayers you do pray, not the ones you don’t. Do it as you can, not as you can’t.