OUR DAILY BREAD             Thurs., January 19, 1995
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READ:  Daniel 6:1-23

                PIGEON WALK

 "Daniel...knelt down on his knees three times
     that day, and prayed and gave thanks
              before his God.

                        - Daniel 6:10

Have you ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny?
It's so that it can see where it's going.  Because
a pigeon's eyes can't focus as it moves, the bird
actually has to bring its head to a complete stop
between steps in order to refocus.  So it proceeds
clumsily -- head forward, stop, head back, stop.

In our spiritual walk with the Lord, we have the
same problem as the pigeon:  We have a hard time
seeing while we're on the go.  We need to stop
between steps -- to refocus on the Word and the
will of God.  That's not to say we have to pray
and meditate about every little decision in life.
But certainly our walk with the Lord needs to have
built into it a pattern of stops that enable us to
see more clearly before moving on.

Daniel's practice of praying three times a day was
an essential part of his walk with God.  He realized
that there's a certain kind of spiritual refocusing
that we can't do without stopping.  His stops gave
him a very different kind of walk -- one that was
obvious to those around him.

What about us?  At the risk of being thought of as
different, as Daniel was, let's learn this valuable
lesson from the pigeon:  "Looking good" isn't nearly
as important as "seeing well."

                        -- Martin R. De Haan II


        There is a blessed calm at eventide
    That calls me from a world of toil and care;
     How restful, then to seek some quiet nook
     Where I can spend a little time in prayer.

                                -- Bullock

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           THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
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   Time in Christ's service requires
         time out for renewal.

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THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Exodus 11-13

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