Facing down our lions

We've said before that it makes no difference how experienced we are at praying. We don't need eloquence, nor do we need to adhere to a set pattern. A sincere heart, fully aware of its own sin and the mercy of a loving God is more important than whether we use flowery language or not.

I believe that Daniel can give us some help, though, if we want our prayers to please our Lord and to be effective and holy. Let's look at his prayer, as he faced the possibility of joining the lions in their den.
We find one of his prayers in chapter 9, and I think it must be similar to what he prayed as the satraps watched to see if he kept up his usual prayer habits:

 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” (Daniel 9:17-19)

Daniel was in a situation that he didn't want to be in. He believed that God would feel the same way about it, and he believed that God would want to change the situation.
When we are facing our own lions, we must believe the same things.

The first thing we can see about Daniel's prayer is that he came at it with a spirit of repentance. He was humble. He could have been defiant! "Hey, I've been doing things right, here! Why have you allowed me to get in this pickle?"
Instead, he was letting God know that he was not defiant. He showed his regret for the sins of his people, and was contrite.

Humility is the fear of the Lord;    its wages are riches and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4)

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:“In repentance and rest is your salvation,    in quietness and trust is your strength. (Isaiah 30:15a)

Daniel also showed in his prayer that he placed his hope in God's mercy. After all, we aren't worthy to demand things of a holy God. Let's not even go there. He hears and answers us because of His great love and mercy toward us.

Have mercy on me, O God,    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion    blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity    and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions,    and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; (Psalm 51:1-4)

But here is something that perhaps we miss if we are not careful. Daniel also showed an awareness of the promises of God. And he uses this in his prayer. It's almost as if he is reminding God of His promises!
Let's look at a promise that God made in Deuteronomy:

When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. 5 He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. (Deuteronomy 30:1-6)

(The portion of verse three that says "restore your fortunes" in the NIV is translated "bring you back from captivity" in the KJV.) It's almost like Daniel is pleading with God, "Please pay attention to me, for this is what you told your people years ago!" Daniel knew his Old Testament. Well, it wasn't the Old Testament back then, but you get my drift. (Grin) He knew those words from the past, and he held them up to God. Those words made it clear to Daniel that there was a gap, a difference, in his present situation and the way that God would want it to be.
And that is where effective prayer can begin. If we are facing lions, and we recognize a situation that we know God would want to be different, that's a good start. If we see that there's a difference between our situation and what we know is His will, then we pray about that. We add the light beam of our faith to the beam of His will, and we get that laser beam we spoke of before!

But that necessitates our having knowledge of His Word! How well do we know the Book? That is how we know His will. Our prayers can be more effective if they are based on the promises He has made to us. If we want His help, we must know His promises.

Have we read the passages in the Bible that outline His plan for our marriage? Do we see a gap between what His promise for our marriage is, and what we live every day? Pray those verses, and ask His help in creating that blessed marriage that is His will for us.

Do we see a difference between what our church should be, and what it is in real life? Read His Word and pray for the church, and be a part of making that fellowship what He wants it to be.
Is there a gap in our attitudes toward others, whether Christian or unbeliever, our own ethnicity or someone different? He has instructed us on our words and behavior, and He wants unity among the believers. He wants all to hear the gospel. Pray those verses and ask for His strength as we try to change first ourselves, and then our world.

What lions are we facing? Do we know the Word well enough to find the help we need, and then to utilize that in our sincere and fervent prayers?

We can claim His promises and face down those lions. Our God shuts the mouths of lions!

More tomorrow . . .

Facing down our lions

We're continuing to study Daniel this week, and the first thing I noticed in the passage yesterday was that prayer was a discipline with him. It was a routine.
Now, by that I DO NOT mean that it was hum-drum.
That he took it for granted.
Nope.
Did you see how many times each day he prayed?
I'll wait a moment for you to check back in Daniel, chapter 6.

Are you impressed? Three times daily.
You know, I'll just bet that this is why he had "an excellent spirit," and why "they could find nothing" with which to accuse him.
What do we do three times a day?

Other than eating, I mean. Shouldn't our spiritual food be just as important?
Ouch!
Do we have the self-discipline to get on our knees and spend time with God each and every day? I'm not asking if we can do it three times daily, although that would be awesome, to emulate Daniel.
I'm just asking about once daily!

Seriously. I don't know how people do it. Life, I mean. How do people survive, that don't have the Lord to be their Friend and their strength? How do they juggle the responsibilities? The crises? The demands from spouse, kids, and jobs?  How to keep all those balls in the air?
If I didn't have the Lord as my Rock, I'd be a puddle of goo from trying to live life in this world. The stress would simply squash me.
Look at the example that Jesus provided for us. He Who was God in the flesh. Let's look at some verses:

The next morning Jesus went out to a place where he could be alone, and crowds came looking for him.  (Luke 4:42a)

And again in Luke's gospel:

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:  (Luke 6:12-13)

In college, we would study hard for an exam, and sometimes "pull an all-nighter." We'd stay awake (through many and various means) and cram as much of that textbook into our heads as we could.
Because it was important.
Jesus prayed all night before He chose His disciples.
Because it was important.
How many big decisions have we prayed over? How many times have we sought His guidance for an important decision?
Have we prayed all night? Or have we hurriedly laid it at His feet and moved on? Do we have the self-discipline to pray like we mean it? Like it's important?
I know, I know, my toes are hurting, too . . . .

Let's look at another passage:

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. (Matthew 26:36-44)

This was the night before Jesus died. He took three of His closest disciples into the Garden of Gethsemane, to pray with Him. What an honor. To come alongside of their Master and pray with Him.
He left them in one spot to pray, and then went further into the garden to pray alone. Before He left them, He told them that they needed to pray -- so that they would not fall into temptation.
But it was night time.
And they were tired.
And the grassy spot felt so soft.
And cozy.
And they nodded off.
And that is how He found them.
I don't know about you, but I think I would have been tempted to say that my eyes were closed because I was deep in prayer. Right? Hey, no way was I sleeping! Um, that would not work. We can't fool Him; He knows us.
He woke them and asked couldn't they pray with Him for an hour?
Later that evening, a frightened Peter would distance himself from his Lord. He would deny Him three times.
This study has made me wonder . . . what if Peter had stayed awake for that hour? Maybe he would not have crumbled and denied Jesus? Christ Jesus said, "...the flesh is weak." Absolutely! And that is why we need to discipline ourselves to our prayer life.

Prayer can be God's time to strengthen us, so that we can avoid temptation!
What would our days be like, if we immersed each day in prayer? What if we looked at our calendar, or our "to-do" list, or just listed the items aloud from memory? What if we prayed for each thing we are going to do?
And what would our days be like, if we set a time for our prayers? Sure, we can pray all throughout the day. At any moment, we can pause and seek His guidance and His help. But if we set a time, and we are disciplined, we will see the fruits of those prayers in significant ways!

This verse can speak to so many things in our lives. You can insert anything you wish for the word "house." Our jobs, our families, our relationships . . .

Unless the Lord builds the house,    the builders labor in vain. (Psalm 127:1a)

We truly must learn to have self-discipline. There is no magic number. Praying a certain number of times each day is not a magic charm or spell. But setting a time and sticking to it -- making it important enough to stick with it -- the results will astound us, as He honors our commitment and blesses us abundantly. We will see that we can face our lions . . .

Facing down our lions

Last week, we studied Daniel, and the early strength of character that he showed, that was the start of his good reputation. We mentioned that it was hard for bad guys to "pin something on him." This week we get to that story!
Just to refresh our memories, God warned the Israelites that if they were unfaithful to Him, He would send them away from the Promised Land, into exile. Well, they were unfaithful, and He allowed Nebuchadnezzar to overrun their land and cart a bunch off to his homeland, Babylon.
We saw that Daniel and his buddies surprised the steward of the king, when they ate simple, wholesome foods and were healthier than the captives who ate the rich food of the king's table. Daniel saw that food as something that would defile him, and so for the sake of his faith, and his God, he would not eat it. God honored Daniel's courage and faith, and blessed him and his three friends with health and knowledge.
He also gave Daniel the ability to interpret dreams, and even put "an excellent spirit" in him (Daniel 6, KJV); I guess that means he just kind of oozed graciousness and friendliness. You may have known some people like that; they're nice to be around. (Grin)
Anyway, that brings us to chapter 6 of the book of Daniel, and a new king.......

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” (Daniel 6:1-5)

What did I tell ya! The worst they could say about Daniel was that he obeyed the laws of God too much! What a reputation to have! Since they had nothing bad that they could say about Daniel, they put on their thinking caps and came up with something truly evil . . .

So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing. (Daniel 6:6-9)

Ah, yes, flattery will get you everywhere with some peeps. So they told Darius how awesome he was, and he fell for it. Terrible political advice, but he loved what he was hearing.
Boom.
What happened next?

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.  (Daniel 6:10)

Wow.
Now that is courage, no?
Yes!
He didn't care one shake of a lamb's tail what the king or his satraps said. He got on his knees and prayed, JUST AS HE HAD DONE BEFORE. (Emphasis mine.)

And don't you think Daniel knew that he was going to be facing some lions?
Yep, he knew.

I'd like us to think about something until we study again tomorrow.

God's Word teaches us that God loves us, and that He wants to bless us. Prayer is the pipeline, so to speak, that brings His power into our lives. Prayer is the way that we grab hold of His promises and remind ourselves of those blessings and ask Him for them. (He needs no reminding, but we do. He doesn't forget.)
In the town near where I live, there is a statue to the inventor of the laser. Charles Townes was an incredibly gifted man, and he discovered that the laser works because you're sort of stacking up light beams on top of one another. As you stack them up, they become more intense, because they are all going in the same direction, and they gain strength.
Prayer is kind of like our laser. We can add the beam of our faith to the beam of God's promises, and the beam of His love and His will, and we get a laser of His power.
Is the power and blessing of God absent from our life?
Is it because we haven't claimed that power and those blessings?

Think on that till tomorrow . . . .

Friday slowdown

This old hymn written in 1873 by Phillip Bliss is a staple at kid's gatherings . . . really brought back memories for me. Hope it's a blessing to you!

A sterling reputation - starting early!

What a wonderful example for believers Daniel provides! His faith, and his persistence, and the resulting blessings from God, show God's love for us and His providence and care for us. Daniel shows us how being committed to our principles can grow our reputation.

What lessons can we learn from Daniel this week?
What can he tell us about commitments and how to keep them?
First, we can be successful in keeping our commitments to the Lord, if we are polite. Remember how confident that Daniel was, that God's way was the right way? He still didn't get loud, or harsh. He especially didn't act rude or arrogant. Being impolite never makes things better -- just makes a situation more tense.

A gentle answer turns away wrath,    but a harsh word stirs up anger. The soothing tongue is a tree of life,    but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.(Proverbs 15:1, 4)

Next, we should always seek God's help in keeping our commitments to Him. We've studied before and noted that He is pleased when we come to Him for strength. Without Him, any effort is more likely to fail.

Unless the Lord builds the house,    the builders labor in vain.Unless the Lord watches over the city,    the guards stand watch in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

And He seeks to help us when we demonstrate our loyalty and commitment to Him.

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. (II Chronicles 16:9a)

Don't forget that Daniel was persistent -- he didn't give up when the first response was "no." After meeting that obstacle, he tried again.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7-11)

Lastly, Daniel was so sure that God "had his back" that he was willing to test his own faith. To put it all on the line for Him. He proposed to the steward that a ten day trial be held, and then see the results after the ten days. Daniel was so committed to the principles of clean, lawful living, that he was willing to trust God for the results.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. (Malachi 3:10)

Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. (John 7:17)

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:31-34)

Often I am reminded that lessons from His Word are not just to keep us straight, but sometimes are given so that we can counsel other believers . . . . are there some people, young or old, that we can encourage to stand for their commitments to God?
What about a college age student, moving away from home? They are leaving the comfort and protection that home and family affords, and headed toward situations that will test their faith and their resolve. Let's encourage them to live and act with the purpose in their heart that Daniel had.
What about an adult in the workplace? Sometimes it's necessary to accept jobs that are worrisome, to support a family. Let's shore up their resolve, and encourage them to keep their convictions, not compromise. Let's counsel them to be loyal, but not to lie; to be flexible, but not abandon their principles.
What about someone whose spouse who is not a believer? Can we encourage him or her to serve God with a committed heart? To raise their children in the pathways of the Lord, even though there is not support for those principles from their spouse?

Let's be determined to have the faith of a teenager in Babylon! Let's purpose in our hearts to keep our commitments to the Lord! In time, we will have a sterling reputation for serving Him.

A sterling reputation - starting early!

We are focused this week on Daniel -- he was a man of sterling reputation, and in Daniel 1, we see that he started early!
He and his friends have been taken captive to Babylon, and they've been told they will reside in the king's palace for three years, to train for service. They've also been presented with "choice" foods and adult beverages that may not go along with their principles.
What will they do?
What will Daniel do?

Check out verse 8 from our focus passage yesterday:

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. (NIV)

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (KJV)

Daniel had made a decision.
I love how both of the translations above utilize such strong words -- he resolved; he purposed in his heart. He had made a choice and he was committed to it. Oh, that this kind of commitment would be commonplace in our world! But I'm afraid it's not seen as often as it should be, from the young or the old.
Let's see how he stayed true to his commitment -- after all, this is how his reputation got started!
Looking at the food and wine offered to them, Daniel was either concerned about the types of food and the food prep, or he was concerned about it being used for idol worship. Either way, he was very careful to be polite. See up there in the verse? He didn't demand -- he respected the authority of the people set over his care, and he requested. I'm thinking that Daniel was a pretty tactful guy!
He did it with God's help, too. I expect that he whispered a little prayer after the first refusal . . .the chief of the eunuchs didn't think much of his request, even with God working in his heart. He thought a lot of Daniel and the others, but he was worried he might make the king mad -- and we all know what could happen then. So, Daniel asked the steward (guard), instead.

Daniel was confident that God "had his back," so he was persistent. (There's another lesson for us, right?)  He also was willing to test his own faith; he was so sure that God's way was the right way, that he was willing to demonstrate it to others. Daniel asked the steward to give him, and his three friends, just water and wholesome veggies for ten days.

The steward might have thought to himself, "You're nuts! Look at all this awesome, tasty food!" And the other captives may have thought, "Hey, that leaves more for us! We're cool with that!"

But at the end of ten days, it was Daniel and his three friends who were healthy and perky (not stuffed and drunk like the rest!) The steward was so impressed with their healthy appearance and attitudes that he got rid of the fancy foods and wines for all the rest of the captives, too! God blessed their faith and their persistence, and then He blessed them even more. He gave all of them knowledge, skills, and wisdom, and to Daniel He gave the ability to understand visions and dreams. As a result, these four became the best of the young men who had been trained, and they served in the presence of Nebuchadnezzar.

They were not only a little better than the soothsayers, magicians, and astrologers in the palace, they were LOTS better! Verse twenty says that it didn't matter which subject the king asked them about, they were ten times better than the rest!

Daniel's reputation grew and grew, from this early start. He became the "number two" ruler of the kingdom, answering only to the king. He continued in the court of Babylon for nearly seventy years, and advised Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and then Cyrus of Persia.

Tomorrow we will look at some lessons that we can use in our own lives . . .

Prayer requests

Milk and cookies.

Cold, fresh milk. Warm, fresh-from-the-oven cookies. Whatever flavor you prefer.

Kinda gets ya happy, just thinking about it, doesn't it?

Maybe it makes us think about coming home from school, and mom, or grandma, or sitter having a plate of cookies and a small glass of milk ready to refresh us?  Puts a smile on the face of most kids, I believe, and cheers them up immensely.  It's a comfort. A mood-changer. A break from the stresses of the school day, or worries from dealing with other (perhaps bigger) kids.

Let's put the clutch in and change gears.
I understand. You don't drive a manual, like I do. (Most people don't.)
Let's just say we are changing directions, then.

Is there something in our lives as adults that can do these things for us? As Christians, do we think about our prayer time in this way?
It can make us happy, cheer us up.

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 16:24)

It's a comfort.

Even though I walk    through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil,    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,    they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

A mood-changer.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

It's a break from the stresses of the world, and dealing with other people.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

Let's approach our times of prayer with anticipation - with eagerness! We have a Friend Who cares and Who knows our problems . . . He just wants us to ask Him to show His strength and to help us.

If you have a burden or request, won't you share it in the comments? Let us come alongside you and pray with you.
If you have a praise for answered prayer, share that, too, and encourage others!