Most of us are familiar with the story of Daniel and the lion's den. Like David and Goliath or Jonah and the whale (or big fish), it's one of the most talked about tales in all of scripture. But we often forget what landed our man Daniel in that den in the first place.

If we go back to Daniel 6, we discover that a commitment to prayer was his only crime. Some shady political leaders convince the king to issue a decree declaring it illegal to pray to anyone but him, and then they sit back and wait for Daniel to defy the order.

Daniel 6:10-11 (NIV) says, "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."

Prayer was an integral part of Daniel's daily life, and no decree from an earthly king was going to interfere with his allegiance to the Heavenly King. Even though disobedience of the decree was punishable by death, Daniel was willing to face the consequences.

I wonder if the same could be said of me. Would I have the courage to keep praying even if it could cost me my life?

What about you? Do you have the guts to pray even when it hurts?