How to Pray Like Daniel: 5 Keys to Transforming Prayer Life

Have you ever had an overwhelming situation in life? One where all that is left to say is, “when is God going to show up? Is He gone?”

Daniel sure did. Not only was it overwhelming, but it was beyond life and death. Imagine having a sleepover in a den of lions! 

But instead of asking where God is, Daniel prayed otherwise. In fact, he was known in the Bible to be a “man of prayer”.

In this article, let’s learn how to pray like Daniel and discover his 5 secrets to transforming prayer life.

Let’s go!

1. Prayer is a Conversation

Imagine this: God is in your room sitting on a chair. How will you talk to Him? 

Daniel made his prayers more like a conversation with God. When we talk to someone, we exchange information and ideas. By “exchange”, it means one thing is given and another is taken. In communicating, ‘speaking” is the given, while “listening” is the taken.

And sometimes, we tend to forget the “listening” part.

Prayer is intended to be a moment when we come before God and exchange words with Him. We offer Him our adoration, confession, gratitude, and petitions, but then we must listen to hear what He has to say to us.

Suppose your spouse or best friend just talked to you for 30 minutes, spilled their heart out to you, asked for help or guidance in a situation, and then walked away and didn’t let you answer.

It’s kinda awkward, isn’t it? 

According to the Bible, when Daniel was exiled to Babylon, he always prayed and talked to God. 

Daniel 6:11 (KJV) says, “Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God”.

When he prayed it took him long hours to the point that people noticed him. Surely, his prayers were not a one-sided conversation, were they?

When we pray, let us think of having a conversation with God. A conversation that includes listening.

Daniel could’ve been nervous when he was at the lion’s den. But, because he listened to God’s assurances, he was confident that God was with him.

It’s important for us to listen to God, too.

We need to believe in prayer and believe that God will talk to us. Just like how He did with Daniel.

2. Prayer is a Manifestation of God’s Promise

When we pray, we let go of our frustrations and problems and wait for God to solve them. Even though we should pray for this, it shouldn’t be the only reason.

While casting all of our cares to God’s feet, we should also manifest and recall His promises in our lives.

Daniel 9:4 (KJV) says, “And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments.”

After confessing everything to God, Daniel immediately reassured Himself that “God keeps His covenant and mercy to those who love Him”.

Like Daniel, aside from waiting for God to solve our problems, we should also do our active part in manifesting His promises.

Think of it this way. You ordered something online. While waiting for it to arrive, you constantly check on the whereabouts of your expected package. That’s a form of manifesting. You know when it will arrive, but you continually reassure yourself by monitoring it.

We know that God will answer our prayers. But, we should also reassure ourselves of His promises that He is going to answer them in His own perfect time.

3. Prayer is a Form of Praise

When we pray, we sometimes think that it’s enough to just ask God to help us.

But Daniel spent his time alone with God through praise.

Daniel was:

• A captive
• Very young when he was exiled
• Provided food that was not of his choice
• Put in the den of lions for a night
• Tested to betray his God

But, what did his prayers consist of? 

Daniel 2:20-23 (KJV) revealed Daniel’s prayer filled with praise. It says,

“Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are His: 

And He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.

He revealeth the deep and secret things: He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him. I thank thee and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.”

In the face of adversity, Daniel chose to praise God even in his prayers.

4. Prayer is a Privilege

Sometimes, we think that our other jobs beg for our attention more. For most people, it’s more fun to cross things off a list of to-dos than to pray.

But for Daniel, he considered praying as a privilege.

Daniel 6:10 (ESV) states, “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously”.

Daniel took prayer seriously to the point that he is willing to be seen by others. He does this because he wants to share the delight of having this “privilege” that everyone may experience.

Prayer may sometimes feel like a chore. We pray because it is required of us. But truly, prayer is a gift—an opportunity to cultivate our relationship with God.

5. Prayer is a Purpose

When Daniel was brought into exile, the king attempted to disguise his identity by giving him a new name.

Daniel understood that God had created him and set him special. He understood that his identity lay not in the ways of the Babylonian gods, but in who God created him to be.

This is why he made everyone aware that he was a man of prayer. He boldly opened his windows when he prayed and showed them that his prayers were not short. These prayers were not those typical, one-sided conversations. He showed people that he did not feel obligated to pray. He made sure that his prayers were more of praising than asking. 

In all of this, Daniel made an identity throughout Babylon that prayer made him who he was. And that he didn’t pray to some graven, golden image, but to God who created everything. What a great purpose!

Pray Like Daniel

We may not be in a literal “lion’s den” situation like Daniel. But we also don’t need one for us to pray and seek God’s guidance. In fact, in whatever situation we are in right now, it is best if we pray.

Daniel had a meaningful prayer life because, for him, prayer was a:

• Conversation
• Manifestation of God’s promise
• Form of praise
• Privilege
• Purpose

May you find joy in praying as you face both the blessings and trials in your daily walk with God. Interested to learn more about Daniel? Watch this video!