The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 10:1-21 (day six)

13 But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Daniel 10:13

The Enemy has one tactic: keep the world in darkness, to disrupt the advancement of God’s truth (the Gospel), to perpetuate untruths clothed in the guise of reason, to twist the truth of God enough to rob it of its power.

God’s angels have a clear goal too: clear a path for the advancement of the Truth!

While all that is unseen, it is no less real or close. Daniel prayed and God sent an angel, or two. He was a prayer warrior in a spiritual battlefront.

So, if the Church is the infantry, God’s messengers, or angels, are the air support, called in from the ground to clear a path to advance the Truth.

Let’s keep calling.

 

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 10:1-21 (day five) 

“Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees…And behold, one who resembled a human being was touching my lips;”  

Many people believe that all religions are essentially the same, in that they are all climbing the same mountain using different paths to reach the same God. The problem with this perspective is that it ignores the uniqueness of the Living God of Biblical Christianity. While this belief may be accurate of other religions, the Living God of Biblical Christianity doesn’t wait for man to get to Him (climb to the top of the mountain).  He comes to man bringing mercy, grace, redemption, and restoration- most clearly through Jesus Christ.

Do you remember when and where God came to you and brought salvation and new life through Christ ?  Do you have experiences when God comes near with forgiveness and restoration through confession and repentance? This is the God of the scriptures.  He comes near. He saves. He restores. He guides.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 10:1-21 (day four)

Battles are won only when we are fighting the right enemy.  While Daniel fasted and prayed for three full weeks, the real battle was going on in unseen heavenly places.  The messenger from God was sent to Daniel, the ‘first day he set his heart on understanding.’  His arrival though was delayed by a heavenly conflict to prevent him from coming to Daniel.

When we are opposed or persecuted for our faith…instead of being offended…we should immediately intercede for our detractors.  Sin has so overwhelmed mankind that, often, they are pawns in the hands of evil forces.  We should pray for those held in the grasp of sin.  Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Know your enemy…then allow God to fight the strategic heavenly battles.  Set your heart on understanding!

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 10:1-21 (day three)

“O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!”

Anybody know how many times the Bible addresses the human tendency toward fear? Gotta be a pretty high number. Anyway, it’s instructive that the scriptures don’t tell us merely to buck up. That’s the way we often dispense advice about courage, you know. We say things like: “Don’t worry.” “Think about something else.” “It’s not that bad.” I don’t know. Sometimes it really is that bad. The Bible will never pretend that you can shut fear off like a light switch. Therefore, with every admonition to put an end to fear you will find – explicitly or by strong implication – a declaration that the Lord himself has drawn near. The words “Take courage” are an announcement that God has come to you.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 10:1-21 (day two) 

Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. vs 12

Read that verse again…slowly. Now substitute your name for Daniel’s. All this time that you have been petitioning the Lord on behalf of your children, your family, your co-workers, your city, or whatever – the Lord has heard you. That doesn’t mean you are going to hear the answer tomorrow, or that you should stop praying, but isn’t it a comfort to know that you are heard. Can you imagine Daniel’s relief to hear those words. None of those moments were in vain. When you go before the Lord, have this assurance; you are heard. Let me also encourage you to make that an end in itself. Just the recognition that you serve a God who hears should be enough to continue to serve. Press on.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:23-27 (day seven)  

“to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness” vs 24.

There was no Plan B.

From the beginning of time, God had a plan: to end sin and bring righteousness. We get glimpses of this plan throughout the Old Testament. God would forgive the sins of His people, they would be restored to righteousness, but the righteousness would not last. The people would always turn back into their sinful ways. This was not the solution, but it pointed us towards the problem. Man cannot make an end of sin. Man cannot bring righteousness. Only God can, so God became man and ended sin, atoned iniquity, and brought an everlasting righteousness, but He wasn’t done yet! He gave us His Spirit that we might be emissaries for Him. He has equipped man to bring everlasting righteousness to other men through the Spirit living in us.

Repent, Witness, Disciple. This is the church. This was His plan from the very beginning. This is Plan A. There is no Plan B.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:23-27 (day six)  

Let’s be honest, the best we can do is an educated guess as to the meaning of 70 sets of seven. We can devote all our time to its study and still understand no more than we when we began.

And that’s okay. We are in good company.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:23-27 (day five)  

Throughout the book of Daniel we are presented with a tension that we must not only recognize but navigate. The tension is caused by the very nature and character of God being in relationship with man- powerful/personal, sovereign/intimate, immediate/eternal.

Daniel has experienced God dealing in his daily circumstances. Daniel has also experienced God’s glory and seen His everlasting splendor. We must do the same. We must look to God for daily strength and guidance while knowing He has created and controls the world (present and future).  The challenge for the human heart and mind is to hold onto both ends of the tension. To praise and request. To worship and to obey.

(Lyrics from a new song I’m singing these days)

Who can spin the world around
And hold me ever close

Who can search the depths of me
And  love me to the core

Who controls the world I see
And walks me through it all

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:23-27 (day four)

“But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.”  These words could have been written by Daniel, but they weren’t…Jesus spoke these words in John 17.  Captivity and exile in Babylon was tough…the circumstances of daily life for the Jews were very difficult.  When Daniel explained his vision, he was offering hope and joy.  God was in complete control of their lives and circumstances, and the Jews could take comfort in that fact.

Do you feel that the circumstances of life are out of your control?  Are you overwhelmed by what the future may look like?  The message of Daniel and the message of Christ are the same…God is in control…He is sovereign over the circumstances of life…our relationship with Him brings joy that supersedes all circumstances.  We can rest in the calm assurance of His sovereignty and His love for us. We can have joy!