The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day seven)

“for you are highly esteemed” 9:23 NASB

or In the ESV, “for you are greatly loved.”

Isn’t that what we all want to know and feel? That we are greatly loved? We desire that! We desire to hear that from family. We desire to hear that from friends. We desire to hear those words in a similar capacity from employers and peers. We desire to hear that from God. We may look at Daniel in admiration and say, “God could never say that about me.” But there is nothing further from the truth!

God says that to all of us. We are His creation and He has created us perfectly. We are greatly loved. The reason we don’t believe that is because this sinful broken world has infiltrated our mind and convinced us we aren’t perfect and are incapable of being loved, but the truth is the closer you get to God, the more time you spend dwelling in Him, the more clearly you will hear the words of our Lord saying, “You are greatly loved!”

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day six)

On what grounds did Daniel pray? Daniel makes it very clear that his appeal for mercy is not based on his righteousness. He has none, nor the people of God. They all had gone their own way. Daniel’s prayer hinged on God’s character, not his own. If it was not for God’s righteousness, there would be no grounds for Daniel to pray at all.

What was true for Daniel, is true for us too. We pray in Jesus name because we come to the Father in His righteousness, not our own, otherwise we have no privilege to come to God at all.

This keeps us humble and bold. Humble because it reminds us we have been given so much, and bold because it reminds us we can freely approach the throne of grace without fear.

It’s an odd thought but true; Jesus died so Daniel could pray too.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day five)  Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God.
One of the opportunities we have in this season of quarantine, is solitude. God has slowed us down. There is room now for deep meaningful individual and personal reflection, study, and prayer. Those times with God are designed to be sweet, intimate, and powerful. Daniel experienced a personal and dynamic relationship with God. Yet, even in isolation he carries a burden for the people of God.  We must pray I/We prayers.  Personal and corporate. Individual and community. My concern is that members in our  family of faith will be seen only as windows on a zoom conference- that through virtual community, we might somehow lose our passion to bear one another’s burden. They must be on your heart. We must call out their names to the Living and Holy God. This week as you pray (personally), will you also pray for your class and church.  Will you let them know of your love and deep concern?  May we love the Lord and each other well!

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day four)

When reading our passage this week, one character quality stands out for Daniel…humility.  This was not the first time Daniel sought the Lord, but when circumstances became overwhelming, he went to God for answers.  Daniel’s humility is evident as he confesses the sins of his nation…he includes himself in the intercession.

Daniel’s eyes were on the Lord.  He knew where to find truth amid the confusion.  When the voices of culture are screaming confusion and accusation, truth can be found in only one place…the Lord.  Daniel had oriented his life around his relationship with the Lord and he found understanding through prayer.  He recognized that each of us is responsible for obedience to God.

Are the circumstances around you confusing?  Are you hearing mixed messages everywhere you turn?  Whether it’s political speak, coronavirus speculation, or outright lies, the world will not give you truth.  Seek truth where Daniel found it…in humility, read His Word and pray.  You may discover how much God loves you!

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day three)

“I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet.”

Daniel: fount of wisdom to kings, interpreter of dreams, faith-filled sage, courageous advisor, trustworthy friend. That’s character. How about including this descriptor: Bible reader. Daniel’s character – his seemingly unfathomable depth of benevolent goodness and quiet confidence – grew in part from how the Bible shaped his inner life and informed the way he moved in the world. He didn’t call it “the Bible.” He called it “the word of the Lord to Jeremiah,” who was a contemporary of his. But as soon as Jeremiah spoke those prophecies, they were written down. And what we have come to know as the Bible is in fact the written-down word of God. That same word which shaped Daniel’s character will shape yours.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day two)

…while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. vs. 21

It has been mentioned several times in the past few weeks, but I think it bears repeating; Daniel was a man of prayer. What I found compelling is that in this passage Daniel admits both his extreme fatigue, and his reliance on God. Following after the Lord does not guarantee a worry-free existence. You’ve been walking in faith long enough to know that. Our weariness, however, should not be an excuse to take a break from following and serving. When the Lord blesses abundantly we are to give thanks and spend time with him. When we are walking through life’s valleys we are to lean on his promises and spend time with him. Daniel is a great model of how to prioritize our walk with Jesus in the midst of an ever-changing world.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 8:1-27 (day seven) 

“then the holy place will be properly restored.” vs 14

Abandoned. Neglected. Ignored. Generation after generation of Israelites had perpetually turned their back on God. Had God finally turned His back on them? Had the mercy of God finally reached His capacity for forgiveness?They were in captivity, in a foreign land, under the control of a powerful regime and hope was fleeting.

It was a bleak time in Israel’s history, but Daniel reinstates hope.  Hope that restoration is coming. Hope that the tribulation will end. Daniel is assured in this apocalyptic vision of the sovereignty of God. God is working through all these things. He has not abandoned His people. He has not ignored nor neglected them. He is bringing restoration. He is bringing hope through the tribulation.

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint,” Romans 5:3-5.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 8:1-27 (day six) 

And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. Daniel 8:27

The little horn became the face and hand of evil against God’s presence among his people. This ruler would defile the temple in Jerusalem, the symbol of God’s presence, His covenant, and His mercy

The wickedness of humanity is not ambivalent to God. Every kingdom of earth will by its very nature find its way to the same place, trampling the truth of God and his people. This is precisely why Jesus said, “they are in the world but not of the world.” It’s why the Apostle Peter calls us aliens, citizens of a better Kingdom.

If the little horn tells us anything it’s this, we are not of this world!

So like Daniel, be restless, be sickened, grieve wickedness’ curse, then get up and be about God’s business.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 8:1-27 (day five) 

“The vision of the evenings and mornings Which has been told is true; But keep the vision secret, For it pertains to many days in the future. ”

One of the truths we are gleaning from our study of Daniel is the sovereignty of God.  Daniel certainly has a faith that is built around trusting God’s judgements, His control, His provision, and His protection.  So much so, that we have heard Daniel say, even if He chooses not to save me, it will be ok because His sovereign plans are just and right (my paraphrase).

Trusting the many facets of God’s sovereignty are not easy for human hearts. We like control. We like to be right. We press back on authority.

There’s another facet of God’s sovereignty we must also trust. His timing.  Daniel is told not to tell- to wait. Jesus does the same thing over and over  in the gospels. Why?  Because there is an eternal timing that we often ignore or miss. God’s sovereignty has an eternal perspective. We must learn to trust His timing just as much as His sovereign justice and mercy. Not easy, but a perspective that helps the human heart rest and find strength in God’s power and wisdom.