Psalm 55:16-17

Psalm 55:16-17

Evening, morning and noon

We are again linking a couple of verses here because there is a natural progression. In the evening and the morning and at noon, David cried out to the Lord in distress and the Lord heard his voice and He saved him. Daniel got into a similar habit; particularly when his jealous contemporaries got King Darius to sign an edict that said prayer should only be made to him for the next 30 days. Anyone breaking the decree was to be thrown into a den of lions! “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 God, just as he had done before.” Daniel 6:10. 

Maybe there is something in this praiseworthy habit? Maybe it would do us all good to be disciplined enough to have designated prayer times. At least 3 times a day? Some might argue, “But I pray all of the time.” That’s fine if you are not easily distracted, but if you have a demanding job, or other, heavy responsibilities, or it is not easy to find a quiet place, then a bit of discipline may be a priority. There’s something appealing about having a place, and a time, where and when we know that we can stop everything and meet up with the Lord. Early morning, midday and late evening sounds good to me, especially as prayer takes time and concentration and an ability to listen!

The consequence for David and Daniel, who were both in a bit of a pickle, was that their prayers were heard. And in both cases their prayers were answered. And both men experienced the deliverance and the saving hand of a responsive and protective God. And so will we!

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