This week we continue in our study of spiritual disciplines. Remembering that the spiritual disciplines are practiced in order to bring us nearer to God, or as Paul wrote in Galatians the disciplines enable us to “walk in the Spirit” rather than the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Spiritual disciplines ought never be a source of pride or superiority. Properly practiced the spiritual disciplines will drive us to a place humility.
Daniel ministered as a prophet to Judah during the time his people were help in captivity by the Babylonians and King Nebuchadnezzar II. The invasions began in 605 BC and after several years Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed in 586 BC. The Babylonians were later conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire in 536 BC. Now under the rule of the Persians, Cyrus the Great decreed that the people were allowed to return from exile which is recorded in the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah. At the beginning of captivity Daniel was a young man (teenager) and part of the upper echelon of society that were carried away. Throughout this time, he served in the king’s court while never compromising his allegiance to the true King. In verse 2 Daniel refers to the prophecy of Jeremiah that the desolation of Jerusalem would span some 70 years. From Jeremiah’s words Daniel recognizes that restoration will soon come.
With the timeline in mind, we read in verse 3 Daniel turns his attention or face to the Lord God. In anticipation of God’s action, he is seeking to discern what God would do. Daniel by prayer and practices of spiritual discipline is giving God his complete and undivided attention. This was nothing new to Daniel. His faith had been tested in the lion’s dens and literally tried by fire in the furnace. Daniel was a truly seasoned veteran of spiritual warfare. His habit of drawing near to God enabled him to overcome these trials. Daniel mentions four specifics: Prayer/petition, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. Fasting is less common today. Fasting is usually from food, but other things can be fasted from that may occupy our minds and time. Fasting serves to turn our focus to God and find our satisfaction in Him rather than a non-spiritual pursuit.
In verse 3 Daniel prays to Lord God (Adonai Elohim) but in verse 4 he prays specifically calling out “LORD my God” – LORD being His proper name. In this beginning of the prayer Daniel shows proper reverence and recognition of God’s supreme nature. He is “great and awe-inspiring” according the CSB and in the ESV God is “great and awesome.” Not only did he recognize God’s mighty nature he also acknowledged God as the One who keeps the covenant. This covenant was made with Abraham and renewed by God many times. No matter the repeated failures of the Hebrew people God was always faithful to keep His word.
In verses 5-7 we see what often follows on the heels of fasting – confession. Drawing near to God is amazing but as we do so we also become more aware of our unrighteousness and our great need for forgiveness. Daniel has quite a laundry list of offenses here: sinned (missed the mark), done wrong (twisted the truth), acted wickedly (guilty of evil), acted rebelliously (defied God’s authority), turned away (departed from the truth), and refused to listen (hardened their hearts against God’s word). God sent His prophets to warn the people time and again, but they refused heed their words.
Daniel acknowledged God’s righteousness and His people’s sinfulness. Because of their disobedience to God the nation had been taken form their homeland into various countries. Now the people finally saw their need for God. I read the following this morning in my Walk With God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen which applies to our lesson: “We set ourselves up as self-directed people when times are easy, get ourselves into trouble, and then appeal to God’s fatherly obligations…We are genetically prone to want a convenient God who is there when we need Him and will leave us alone when we don’t.” (36)
Tiegreen refers to this as a “selfish view of God.” The prescription to this spiritual malady is to let Him be the integral and intimate foundation of our lives now, before trouble comes. This way we will avoid much self-made trouble, but when a trial does come our first reflexive action will be to cry out to our Heavenly Father.
Daniel continues to pray (vv.8-16). This prayer acknowledges God for His might and is a confession of the people’s unfaithfulness. The lesson text continues in verse 17 with a request for God’s mercy and favor and a restoration of the homeland. Daniel comes with his request as a servant of God bearing prayers and petitions. This request is to be fulfilled not based on the worthiness of the people, but solely upon the righteous merciful compassion of God. In the same way with us - the mercy God shows us is not earned or deserved but it is a result of God’s amazing grace.
The series of exclamations in verse 19 display the fervency of Daniel’s intercession – “Lord, hear! Lord forgive! Lord, listen and act!” All Daniel’s adult life, for nearly 70 years, captivity is all he has known and he once again pleads for God to act without delay. Daniel again appeals to the covenant God had made with the Hebrew people recalling that they were His people and Jerusalem was the City of God.
Now back to fasting and prayer: As modeled by Daniel, fasting accompanied by prayer and confession, keeps our focus on Jesus. Jesus Himself modeled this for us. After His baptism and before His temptation in Matthew 4 He was to be tempted by the devil Jesus spent 40 days alone with God. In Matthew 17 Jesus taught the disciples that they could not cast out the demon because they had not fasted and prayed beforehand. Daniel, Jesus, the disciples, and others in the Bible gained spiritual strength to defeat troubles, temptations, and trials. The act of fasting deepens our relationship with the Redeemer, who has adopted us into His family. Fasting quiets the noise and busyness that distracts us from hearing God’s voice. When we see it from that perspective fasting is not something that weakens us, but it is a means to gain great spiritual strength.
