The open windows

"Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." Daniel 6:10

The decree had just been signed. For thirty days, anyone who prayed to any god or man except the king would be thrown to the lions. Daniel learns of it, goes home, and does exactly what he had done the day before.

It is the last phrase that carries the weight: as he did aforetime.

Daniel changed nothing. He did not pray louder in protest, nor in hiding to protect himself. Nor did he throw the windows open to be seen — they were already open, they had always been open. The text is specific: three times a day, on his knees, facing Jerusalem. This had been his habit for decades.

That is what makes the episode so severe. On the day of the decree, Daniel had no heroic decision to make. He simply carried on. Courage cost him nothing that day because it had been paid for, a little at a time, on all the days before.

We usually imagine faithfulness as something decided in the hour of testing. This account says the opposite: in the hour of testing, nothing is decided. You do what you are in the habit of doing. Trial does not build character. It shows what is there.

There is a direct consequence for us, and it is uncomfortable. The question is not "what will I do on the day I have to stand?" The question is: what am I doing today, when nothing compels me?

Notice too what Daniel asks for. The text does not say he pleaded to escape the den. It says he prayed and gave thanks. Under a death sentence, he is grateful. That is not obliviousness: it is a man whose prayer had never depended on circumstances, and who was not about to start now.

Today. Do not try to pray better. Try to pray the same way tomorrow, and the day after. It is the windows left open every day that decide what you do on the day of the decree.

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