XII. SAMUEL—PRAYING AND CALLING
UPON THE LORD
Samuel was another wonderful person in the Old Testament, a man who prayed for the children of God continually. The Bible says that Samuel told the people that he would not sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for them (1 Sam. 12:23). When Samuel learned that King Saul offended God, he was grieved and cried to the Lord the entire night (1 Sam. 15:11). Therefore, the Bible refers to Samuel as a man who called upon the name of the Lord (Psa. 99:6) and as a man who stood in the presence of God (Jer. 15:1). All of this reveals to us that Samuel was a person who prayed continually, who called on the name of the Lord, and who stood in the presence of God. By standing in the presence of the Lord and by calling on the name of the Lord, he enjoyed the Lord, partaking of Him as the tree of life. This motivation and enjoyment made him such a wonderful person in human history.
XIII. DAVID—TRUSTING IN GOD, LOOKING TO HIM,
AND ENJOYING GOD’S LIFE
David was a man who trusted in God and looked to Him (1 Sam. 17:37, 45; 30:6). The secret of David’s life was that he desired to dwell continually in the house of God and to behold His beauty (Psa. 27:4, 8, 14). This means that he enjoyed the presence of God. Moreover, he enjoyed God as the fatness and as the river of joy (Psa. 36:8-9). David said, "With thee is the fountain of life." This proves that even in ancient times David enjoyed God’s life as the tree of life and as the river flowing within him. This enjoyment of God made him such a great king among the children of Israel.
XIV. DANIEL—PRAYING TO GOD
We are all familiar with the story of Daniel. However, most Christians are just curious about Daniel’s prophecies. They want to know about the great image in Daniel 2, the image with the golden head, silver shoulders, brass abdomen, iron legs, and clay toes. They also want to know about the beasts that emerge from the sea in Daniel 7. All of the young people are interested in these matters. Although many years ago I spent a great deal of time studying these things, I eventually came to appreciate other aspects of the book of Daniel even more. Now I like the book of Daniel because in it I see a man who prayed constantly and contacted the Lord continually (Dan. 6:10-11; 9:3-4; 10:2-3, 12). According to Daniel 6, Daniel was preeminent among the governors and princes in the kingdom of Darius. The other governors and princes were jealous and plotted against him, seeking to destroy him. When Daniel learned of this, he went to the Lord and prayed. The aim of the conspiracy of the one hundred twenty governors was to shake Daniel’s relationship with God. Nevertheless, Daniel opened his windows toward Jerusalem and prayed three times a day. When Daniel learned from reading the prophecy of Jeremiah that the seventy-year period of exile and captivity was soon to expire, he began to pray (Dan. 9:2-3). Then he received another vision and he prayed continually for three weeks until the answer came (Dan. 10:1-3, 12). Daniel’s prayer life issued out of a holy life. He lived a holy life in the heathen land of Babylon. For example, Daniel refused to eat the king’s food, the food which was first offered to idols and then used to feed the king and his people (Dan. 1:8). Daniel refused that food, and he enjoyed God very much. He enjoyed God as the tree of life.
(Life-Study of Genesis, Chapter 15, by Witness Lee)
