"So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on your desolate sanctuary. O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay because Your city and Your people are called by Your name." (Daniel 9:17-19)
Oh, my, how often we feel that God is very, very delayed. Don't you feel Daniel crying from the depths of his soul with this intercession and begging him to not delay an answer? Gabriel came to Daniel while he was still in the middle of praying and says, "At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed."
I don't know how much time passed between chapter 9 & 10. Remember? I'm not the scholar here, but here we see that Daniel goes back to mourning and fasting and praying. How many of us would mourn after a message from Gabriel, himself, had come to us? I might think that I would say instead, "See! Gabriel says I'm being listened to, so my work here is done. I'm gonna go eat me a peppered rib-eye steak from Skeets and let God just do what he's gonna do!" Yet, it is in mourning and fasting and praying that God reveals His vision for me and those around me just as He did for Daniel. That's why there IS a "time for mourning." So many times we think we are just whining, and maybe that is true. But a desperate plea to the Lord, most high, is never something that falls on deaf ears. Do we feel like our pleas fall on deaf ears? Well, I do sometimes. I feel like he is way too delayed in answering my prayers. In Daniel's time of mourning and fasting he sees another vision and hears the words of a "certain man." He falls into a "deep sleep on [his] face, with [his] face to the ground." Gee, that sounds relatively familiar. This "certain man" says to Daniel in chapter 10:12, "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. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future." Did you see it? Or did you miss it? 21 days. I'm not sure what 21 days means in heaven's timing but even if it meant an actual 21 of our days, did you see what was happening while Daniel was waiting and waiting for an answer? A WAR. When did God began listening to Daniel? From the very moment that Daniel set his heart on understanding and humbling himself. Did Daniel get to know in the flesh right away that he was being listened to? No. Sometimes I don't see the answer I want or even the answer that I think I need, but because the battle is "not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12) sometimes that is the actual delay in an answer. He will still come in response to our words. There is no need to be afraid! I don't feel my needs or desires are as important as Daniel's when I am reading this sometimes but then I have to remember: It is prayer that unleashes the heavenlies. I can't be numb, and unmoved. It is when I MOVE that He unleashes the heavenlies on my behalf, even if I don't see it right away. I can't just shrug my shoulders, go eat a steak, and forget that I'm in pain and that others around me are in pain... I need to plea to God and ask with pure motives (James 4:3). He WILL answer! And some day no matter if His answer is easy or if it is an answer that comes with more challenges, I will have His peace. I will have it because that is the way my God works!
Praising Him for the answer He already has for me!
Praising Him while I wait for Him to work!
My personal prayer and paraphrase of Daniel 9:17-19:
Oh God, I am asking you to shine Your face on my own desolate sanctuary. I'm asking you to not delay in answering for Your OWN SAKE. Not because I'm so good and because I deserve it, but because you are full of MERCY. You are the author of mercy. You esteem me not because of my goodness, but because of Your own goodness and grace. In Jesus' Name,
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