In The Word
Read: Daniel 9:1-19
9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lordto Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and pleading, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed, and said, “Oh, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned, we have done wrong, and acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our leaders, our fathers, and all the people of the land.
7 “Righteousness belongs to You, Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. 8 Open shame belongs to us, Lord, to our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, because we have rebelled against Him; 10 and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11 Indeed, all Israel has violated Your Law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has gushed forth on us, along with the oath which is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him. 12 So He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great disaster; for under the entire heaven there has not been done anything like what was done in Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our wrongdoing and giving attention to Your truth. 14 So the Lord has kept the disaster in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.
15 “And now, Lord, our God, You who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked.16 Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the wrongdoings of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an object of taunting to all those around us. 17 So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his pleas, and for Your sake, Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 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 pleas before You based on any merits of our own, but based on Your great compassion. 19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Daniel was disturbed by the vision the Lord gave him. He responded by going to the Word of God. Daniel did not try to seek earthly counsel or even rely on his own understanding. He poured over the written word of Jeremiah. It was through the Word that Daniel realized God’s judgment and how long that judgment would be.
He had the information. God’s Word had shown him the reason. It is in this moment that Daniel’s heart broke before God. While Daniel did not cause the exile, his kinsmen did. It was their rebellion and apathy toward God that brought on God’s righteous judgment. However, Daniel took on the sins of a nation; he assumed the responsibility for their actions. It was this brokenness that caused him to change his focus. Daniel searched the Word of God; now, he would seek the heart of God. Daniel began to cry out on behalf of God’s people. Daniel’s brokenness ushered in a spirit of repentance. It is this spirit of repentance that chased after the heart of God.
We live in a fallen world. While Christians could self-righteously blame others for the problems going on, we are called to a different path, an Ancient Path, of seeking the heart of God on behalf of others. But, like Daniel, we must be broken over what we see and have a spirit of repentance before God. We live in an age where God is looking for those who will seek His Word and seek His heart through prayer, petitions, and fasting. God is looking for those who will bear the responsibility of a nation and even a world. The question is: will it be us? Will it be you? Will you cry out to God on behalf of a world that is bound for hell, even if you stand alone? God is looking for these people.