Daniel 10:12, 19 NIV “Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.’
… “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”
When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my Lord, since you have given me strength.”

Many Christian men silently carry the same private struggle:
We struggle to pray.

We’re unsure God hears us.
We don’t see results fast enough.
We feel too busy, too distracted, or too unworthy to stay consistent.

So instead of praying, we default to:

• complaining,

• worrying,

• overthinking,

• grinding harder,

• or just pushing through on our own strength.

And then we wonder why we feel spiritually weak, frustrated, and distant from God.

But that is not the life Daniel lived.

In Daniel 10, the angel calls Daniel “highly esteemed.”
Why?
Because Daniel was a man who set his mind to pursue God, seek understanding, and humble himself in prayer.

Daniel wasn’t praying for comfort.
He wasn’t praying for convenience.
He wasn’t praying merely about personal needs.

Daniel prayed for:

• God’s glory to be seen on earth

• God’s will to be fulfilled

• God’s people to return to obedience

• God’s promises to come to pass

His prayers aligned with the Word of God, which meant his prayers aligned with the will of God.

And because of that, God heard him from the first day he prayed.

Daniel didn’t just pray occasionally.
He prayed three times a day, on his knees, long enough and consistently enough that others could literally time his routine and use it to get him thrown to lions.

He prayed because he wanted to walk with God, hear God, and obey God.

And what did prayer produce?

Strength.
Peace.
Courage.
Clarity.
Divine presence.

The angel said, “Be strong now; be strong,”
and Daniel testifies,
“I was strengthened.”

Prayer didn’t just change Daniel’s circumstances—
prayer changed Daniel.

God esteems the man who prays:

• persistently,

• humbly,

• biblically,

• and with a willingness to obey whatever God says.

Prayer is not about getting God to serve our plans.
Prayer is about God shaping us to serve His.

It is the man who prays for God’s kingdom to come—
and is ready to work for God’s kingdom to come—
whom God strengthens, hears, and uses.

Run Today’s Play: Stop treating prayer as optional. Make prayer your strength.

Pick one time today—morning, lunch, or before bed—
and kneel before God like Daniel.

Ask for:

• understanding

• humility

• alignment with God’s will

• courage to obey

Then commit to do it again tomorrow.

Men who pray like Daniel don’t just survive this world—
they shape it.

Be that man.
Be the man God esteems.