I decided to try riding as much as possible on the roads today. Nice experience, though still a bit scary haha. And a van burped past me, belching black smoke. Gasp!

Thank God that I arrived at my workplace in one piece! =D

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While getting my stuff in my office just now, I turned and saw, out of the window, the beauty and blueness of the sky. Somehow had the urge to pray. So, hee, I remembered Daniel, who while still so busy, had the time to kneel down and give thanks to God three times a day.

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God."

So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: "O King Darius, live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed." So King Darius put the decree in writing.

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. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.

So... looked around, and since no one was around, I knelt, and started praying with my eyes open. Just looked at the heavens and the earth. And Revelation 14:7 came to mind:

He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

So just took time to thank God the Creator. God the Creator. It's such a humbling thought. That God deserves all the glory, as the rightful Creator of heaven and earth.

And as I knelt there, I felt like I was kneeling down, together with the ancients and the saints all across the ages, worshipping God with reverence and in awe of Him.

Gosh.

Our God is an awesome God
Who reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, pow'r and love
Our God is an awesome God...

And when the sky was starless in the void of the night
(our God is an awesome God)
He spoke into the darkness and created the light
(our God is an awesome God)
Judgment and wrath he poured out on Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not too quickly forgotten that
our God is an awesome God

Michael W. Smith

Then I also thought, while still on my knees, what would my colleagues think of me kneeling there?

And I remembered Daniel kneeling to give thanks to God, even though his peers had tried to frame him by persuading the king to pass a law making prayer to any god but the king himself, illegal for 30 days. Yet Daniel stuck true to his convictions, still going to his room to kneel and pray, allowing his peers to rush in and catch him doing so.

Personally, I think we're uncomfortable with the idea of being so open in our prayers, especially when it comes to kneeling before God. Even in church, often we feel paiseh to do that. But I wonder... just how much are we willing to proclaim that Christ is Lord? And what harm has kneeling before God ever done to anyone, save for one's own pride...

I know, kneeling is essentially an outward expression. It's possible to do it without the heart. What matters is the heart. Hmm... yah, true... ultimately it's the heart God looks at. And yet... I wonder, just how is my heart that I would be willing to express it out openly for Jesus?

Because I do think kneeling does reflect the willingness of my own heart to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

"...that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth..."

I think, to be honest, I have become so afraid of publicly displaying my faith, that I am willing to compromise my own conviction in other things.

And, I think of the sinful woman who unrolled her hair and poured perfume onto Christ's feet and wiped His feet with her hair. Utterly disgraceful and scandalous... and all the more so, since in that time, unrolling one's hair was meant to be done only in very intimate moments.

Naturally, all the people around her were SCANDALISED. I can imagine the New Paper screaming it out: "Prostitute Preens Preacher!" (I know, "preen" isn't a very accurate term, but tabloid headlines are often known more for their sensationalism rather then their accuracy... ;))

But Jesus saw her heart. And He exalted her before all the religious people, declaring to them that this was one hallowed act, to be told and retold in memory of her, through all the ages henceforth, wherever the gospel is preached.

And two thousand years later, in a faraway land, someone is blogging precisely about that. Prescient, isn't He?

Actually, to clarify, I'm thinking from the viewpoint that maybe we can be more courageous in expressing our faith publicly (as long as it's done with respect, care, sensitivity and consideration for other religions). And of course, I think most people will know why we kneel when we pray!

So, hee, I'm thinking maybe we can kneel down more when we pray... but again then, don't want to make it a ritual. I guess it's a balance of things, because I don't want to become a pious poseur... but on the other hand, I don't want to hide my faith in God so much.

(Pity the poor word "pious"... on one hand it has a commendable usage as in "a pious effort", but also on the other hand, it's nowadays a term to describe hypocrites, especially those of a religious kind. Terrible press it gets...)

Think it's not just about character (though of course! of course! that is critical...), but equally also about declaring openly and unashamedly that Christ is Lord. Both are essential... just look at Daniel's life. :)

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Anyway... my colleague came in, and I hastily got up again. But I think he's fine with it. Just that I feel paiseh. Maybe it's because I worry about what he will think of me praying. But again then... isn't that an opportunity for others to find out that I'm a Christian?

Hai, I really must be more courageous in living out my faith in fuller measure. Commitment.

And for commitment... that's another thing I'm thinking about. But for another day...