Daniel 2:17,18
“Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.”
The last entry in Daniel we had the problem in which Daniel was presented with a big request from the king. Because no one came forward to meet his challenge the king gave a death sentence to all the counselors in the realm, including Daniel and his friends. So Daniel stepped out in faith and said that God could do it and he asked the king for more time. In that entry I mentioned that Daniel knew that God could do it, but wasn’t sure He would. He took a big step.
Today’s verse has Him going back to God and imploring of Him that He would have compassion on them and grant this request. Daniel took the big step and said God could do it. Awesome. Now the follow up to see if He would.
This shows a dimension to that life of faith that is exciting. I was involved in something much smaller last week. I heard a friend was an atheist and I wanted to share Christ with him. For over a month I was thinking about what to say. Here’s what came to mind: 1) Bill Gates said that dna is far more complex than any computer code. No one thinks that a computer could have been programmed without a designer, 2) If I’m wrong about Jesus and eternal life it’s not a big deal. If you’re wrong it is, 3) Most astronomers, though scientists believe that there is a designer, as their field isn’t possible with Darwin’s evolution. I was to see this friend last week and I prayed for an opportunity. The first night there was no openings, the second day also no. It was the last day of the weekend and not yet. Then it was time for all of us to pack and leave. Yet he stayed with me to talk. I prayed the door would open. An opportunity came and I jumped in and shared all three points. We said good bye. Now I’m in the situation Daniel is in. I’m praying. I also sent him a proverbs devotional, as he mentioned that some are raised with faith, he wasn’t. In the note I shared this book would give a small foundation and an introduction to Christ and I challenged him to read it for a month. Now it’s time for prayer.
Much of the christian life is about faith and prayer. God gives us the challenge in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done”. God has given us a new heart that craves Him and His ways. We want others to come to Him. We want to see others saved. We pray for opportunities. Once seeds are sown we pray that He would water those seeds and that growth would come.
We are His representatives. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.” We are His representatives to the world. Not only are we telling others about Him, but we are inviting them to join Him. “We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.” It’s not a casual invitation. We implore them. Our hearts are in it. He gave us that new heart that wants that.
The world, the flesh and the devil don’t like this. They seek to water us down and make us ineffectual. The parable of the sower refers to types of soil or heart conditions that choke off God’s Word: no depth for the word to take root, so when trials arise because of the word he falls away, the cares of the world choke it off and no understanding and the devil comes and steals it.
In the book of Revelation Jesus talks to one of the churches and claims that it has become lukewarm. There is no passion for God, no seeking the kingdom. That is a watered down life that has been side lined. God wants seeking Him and loving Him and wanting others to come to Him.
Lord, may we be like Daniel and step forward when You give us opportunities. Help us to seek them and pray as You open the doors. Through us may Your kingdom come.