Daniel 9:1-4, 17-19 (NIV) 1 In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom- 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. 4I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, 17 "Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, O 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 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."
Is there some central behavior that makes Daniel, Daniel? A central behavior is consistent. It is the normal, natural way we act and react all the time. Daniel’s central behavior was his faithfulness to God, and is the way he remained true to God and God’s will despite the problems and pressures that faced him.
I assume that most of us want to do the same. We want to be faithful to God in all we do, despite the problems and pressures we face. We want to, but do we do it? Do we even understand what “being faithful” means as we face different problems and pressures? And when we do understand, do we find ourselves failing? Daniel’s behavior of always being true to God is the something that enabled him to be faithful.
In Daniel’s prayer we can see that belief was behind his behavior. Daniel believed God was faithful, and that God kept His promises. Do you believe God keeps His promises? Does it feel like God has been keeping His promise to you in all the ups and downs of your life? Daniel’s belief that God would keep His promise is an acquired confidence that came to him through Scripture reading, prayer, and fasting. We call these activities “spiritual disciplines,” the things we do to turn our attention toward God, and to orient our life around God.
I know we can go through the motions of Bible reading or worship without turning to God in our hearts, but we cannot turn to God in our heart without going through the motions of Bible reading and worship and the doing of some kind of spiritual activity. Spiritual discipline is what we do to regain our belief that God keeps His promise, to reorient our life around God, to get the information and the inspiration we need to be faithful to God despite all the problems and pressure we face.
Preached August 24, 1997
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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