A FAITH BEYOND YOU

• DAY 136
• FAITH FILE: DANIEL
• SCRIPTURES: DANIEL 9

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

DANIEL 9:1-3

Do you know what fear can do? It can make you so preoccupied that you cannot see beyond your own issues. You’d be so focused on what to eat, what to wear, where you hurt, and who abandoned you or even your enemies that you overlook the big picture of God’s agenda. Even when you are studying the Word all you can search for is scriptures that answer your immediate needs. no wonder our nations and the world are in a mess. The people that are called by His name are crippled by fear and worried about minor matters, so no one is humbling themselves to pray. They have forgotten that enlisted soldiers are not bothered with petty matters (2 Tim 2:4). My mother would say this Igbo proverb that translates to; “No one goes to a war and instead of fighting starts chasing rats.” If we are not careful, anxiety and fear will make us rat chasers. 

In our text, we see that Daniel set himself to intercede for his nation because he understood through his study of God’s promises, recorded by the scribes of Israel before Babylon took over, that their nation was due for a change. He could have only discovered this because he wasn’t preoccupied with daily anxieties. I believe that this study was not done in a day. He had been studying from his early days, just as he had been praying from his early days. So while people were plotting against him, he was studying. He minded his God and let God mind his business. The agenda of the kingdom was his focus. Righteousness was the bedrock of his life. So he had no time to pay attention to busybodies.

Selfless Faith

I had an example of this growing up. My mom had different days for different prayer focuses. We prayed against kidnapping, for those kidnapped, for the women waiting for children, for the homeless and hungry, and even for the body of Christ. And we didn’t have a perfect life. In fact, 90% of the time we had our own issues to attend to. But she refused to be a rat chaser. My pastor is the same way. She received a notice of eviction but she is calling for a gathering of intercessors to pray over the nation and the youths and other matters. She goes on fasting, for up to a month, for other people to find their spouse. Imagine. 

Beloved, if we keep enlisting in rat races we will miss the agenda of the kingdom. God has a plan for your nation, your family, and your job, just as he has for your life. Let us put aside worry so we can partner with Him to see His kingdom come on earth.

Pray

Can I challenge you to sacrifice your prayer time to intercede for anything but your needs? Pray for Nigeria. Pray for missionaries all over the world. Intercede for that person you think is having a hard time. Shift your focus from you as you pray for them. And please, do so without telling them. That is a more excellent way.

Shalom