The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 7:1-28 (day six)

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. -Jesus, John 15:15

The one like a son of man (Jesus), called them friends.

Maybe there is more to Daniel than God’s sovereignty over human history, something even deeper. Could it be that these visions are a call into a divine friendship with the King of Kings?

There is nothing superficial or insincere going on here. Being known is the basis of friendship. Trust, love, hope, and even eternal life (John 17:3) are its fruit.

God has not withheld from you what He is doing; He has made himself known to you. Oh, son and daughter of the King, rejoice because you are also called friend.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 7:1-28 (day five) 

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.”

Daniel is in the midst of uncertainty and disruption. He’s still in captivity. He’s still immersed in a pagan culture. There’s a new king with different priorities. His influence and credibility seemingly diminished. Might call this a time of crisis for Daniel. Yet, God demonstrates a facet of His faithfulness. He speaks to Daniel. Don’t miss this…  in the midst of uncertainty and disruption, God is speaking to Daniel. In our current climate of uncertainty and disruption, what might God be saying to you?  Will you ask Him to speak to you? Will you carve out time to listen?  Will you carve out time to process?

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us—
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time,
That will echo down through eternity.

And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises.
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.

Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built,
And the earth is filled with Your glory.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 7:1-28 (day four)

Books have been written and lives have been spent, trying to explain every detail of Daniel’s vision.  Taking a step back to gain a wider perspective, we can make a summary of observations.  Earthly kingdoms will come and go…each new dominion is more evil than the last.  Evil is not static and is never content with the status quo…it continually seeks more violent and repulsive means of rejecting God’s sovereignty.

In Daniel’s vision, we see that God (Ancient of Days) is still on His throne…always has been.  His dominion…His sovereignty is never challenged.  By His permission, other kingdoms exist.  Ultimately, it is the kingdom of His Son that will be established for all eternity.  All other kingdoms are temporary.

God has opened up the divine playbook.  Those who follow Him will not be devoured…those who invest their lives in the eternal will receive a crown of glory.  Is your life invested in Christ? Is your eye on the eternal?

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 7:1-28 (day three)

“And the books were opened.”

There’s been a witness to every injustice you’ve ever suffered. Every act that has wounded your soul has been recorded. Despite the amount of power a person amasses, impunity is ultimately out of reach. Blood cries out from the ground; deeds get weighed in the balance; secrets become rooftop news; schemes lose their cover of darkness. Whether a king lords it over a subject, or whether a person in the inner circle merely looks with smug satisfaction on someone of lower station, God knows. The way others treat you matters to God, and you are therefore responsible for the way you treat others. This will all become starkly clear on that day when the books are opened.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 7:1-28 (day two)

…His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. Vs. 27 b (restatement of vs. 14)

Daniel’s dream sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? I don’t have a clear picture of what those beasts looked like, but I can read from Daniel’s state of mind they were disturbing. Not only that, what they represented was unsettling. Kingdoms, terror, and destruction is not the kind of thing that one wants to know about the future. What I found compelling about the interpretation is that we are not given specifics. Not in the way that we, perhaps, would like. Details like who exactly, when exactly, and where exactly are not revealed. And even if Daniel is given all those details, that is not what he chooses to record. That is not the important part. Kingdoms will rise and fall. Injustice will triumph for a time. Then something else will make all of that stop. This is the heart of the message. Authority will be given to one who will no longer suffer injustice. His kingdom will be everlasting. Skip to the end, friends. We don’t know the details of the middle part of this story, but we certainly know the ending. Fix your eyes on him. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. We proclaimed it a few days ago. He is risen, and he will reign forever. Put your confidence in the ending of this story.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 6:1-28 (day seven)

He is Risen!

Daniel 6:17 “A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel.”

Darius and the satraps thought they had sealed Daniel’s fate. They made sure that no one was going in or out of the lions den. But God had other plans!

Matthew 27:66 “And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.”

Pilate and the pharisees thought they had sealed Jesus’ fate. They made sure that no one was going in or out of the tomb. But God had other plans!

Ephesians 2:1 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”

Satan and the demons thought they had sealed our fate. They made sure that we could not reach heaven. But God had other plans!

The same Power that saved Daniel from the mouth of the lions and raised Christ from the dead, is the same Power that personally gives each of us new life!

He is Risen Indeed!!

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 6:1-28 (day six)

The disciples did not even bother rushing to the tomb the next morning. Jesus was dead, and the tomb was sealed. It was final; hopeless.

But Darius arose in haste to see if Daniel’s God had indeed delivered him from the lions. Even Darius knew that while he, the king, was unable to rescue Daniel, God was able.

Isn’t that the Easter story; the good news?

When there seems to be no way, God is able. When our hands our tied, God is able. When it looks like the enemy has won, God is able. When it looks like death is the victor and the tomb is sealed, God is able.

The disciples would soon discover the able-ness of God for themselves, and they would never be the same.

May we live and rest in the able-ness of God. That’s Gospel kind of living.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 6:1-28 (day five) 

“and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.”

Daniel’s life of faithfully serving God was sustained by discipline. Even his enemies knew where Daniel would be and what he would be doing.  He was that disciplined. In his book “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life” Donald Whitney explains that the result of discipline is freedom. An accomplished pianist can play (has the freedom to play) any piece of music because they have spent countless hours in disciplined practice and study. Same is true in the Christian life.

Daniel’s discipline provided structure and substance that created devotion and determination for serving God.  In Daniel’s life his freedom (even in captivity) looked like courage, patience, wisdom, and insight.  Daniel found strength, peace, and the voice of God in his discipline.

In these days that seem so disrupted and unpredictable, maybe we can find the same freedoms that Daniel had (even in Stay Home Work Safe). Let’s begin rhythms of prayer and devotions during this COVID crisis. Let’s find freedom to faithfully serve God and others.  May our discipline lead to  freedom.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 6:1-28 (day four)

King Darius was oblivious to the schemes of his officials.  He did not recognize their treachery against Daniel.  Daniel understood though.  Since his captive and kidnapping to Babylon as a young man, he had distinguished himself before the Chaldeans.  Now, in his late eighties, he continued to demonstrate the devotion to God that had set him apart from all the rest.  Even after all these years of serving as a leader in Babylon, he was still viewed as an ‘exile from Judah’ by these jealous leaders.

Daniel knew when the injunction was signed…He knew they would come for him…He did not change his pattern of worship and prayer to God though.  Daniel’s devotion to God brought its own reward.  That God elected to deliver Daniel from the lions was extra blessing.  Just as his three friends had responded years before,..“God is able to deliver and even if He chooses not to deliver us, we will still serve Him”…Daniel was steadfast in his commitments.  Daniel gives us a model of devotion! Stand firm.