A few weeks ago, I preached a message entitled "I Know How This Story Ends," in which I talked about King David, the Giant-Slayer David, the "he has killed his ten thousands" David, the Psalmist David, the great, great, great, . . . grandfather of Jesus David. David has a lot of accolades, but the stories we know of David never occur if he doesn't do the ordinary. We don't know anything about David if he doesn't show up. If, when asked to carry a bag of groceries to his brothers, he chose to have a bad attitude, or respond negatively, or just go at his own pace, show up late, then the story ends a whole lot differently. I heard it said one time that 90% of success is just showing up. When I walk in to any room I know that I'm not going to be the smartest, the most gifted, the most educated, the best-looking. . . but if you were looking for a term to describe me, I promise that I will always show-up. And I endeavor to keep showing up. So that's my secret to life - Show up!
Come to find out; this is one of the most powerful principles you can embrace and live out. It will change the way you view prayer, ministry, and many aspects of your life. Don't quit in the middle, don't lay down during the battle, and don't walk away from your field while the seed is still in the ground. Keep showing up! Ask God for a long-term perspective and a Holy resilience to stand and pray until. . .
One of the main reasons our church engages in 21 days of fasting and prayer is beacause of the exampe set by a young man named Daniel in Babylon around 600 BC. Daniel was determined to stay loyal to Jehovah, not defiling himself with all the perks of being hand-picked by King Nebuchadnezzar to serve in the royal courts. This resolve to stand for God, and thus against the culture and king of a wicked nation, quickly put him into a test of faith that and three of his Hebrew buddies would have to live out daily. His three friends were bound with ropes and thrown into a fire. Yet God was with them in the fire, and they came through the fire with more authority and confidence than when they started. This seems to be true of all fiery tests. Daniel was tossed into a pit of lions to be dinner for the night, but God had other plans. Fast forward, the years in captivity are rolling along and Daniel realizes that the seventy years of captivity of the Children of Israel are coming to a close. This meant that the prophecy of their deliverance was about to come to pass, thus releasing and returning God's people. But God's people had not kept their part of the covenant, potentially forfeiting the promise of God for deliverance. They sinned, rebelled against God, scorned His commands and regulations, and refused to listen to His servants (See Daniel 9:5-6).
So Daniel decided to seek God through prayer and fasting. . .
He determined that he would undertake a customized fast for 21 days and pray three times a day for God's mercy on the nation and the deliverance of His people.
TAKE A MOMENT
Consider how our country has turned away from its heritage as a Christian nation and how many cultures have embraced the broken values of a fallen culture. Use Daniel's prayer to pray for the Church and for our nation. Pray for revival, fresh conviction, a new move to of the Holy Spirit, for life-giving churches to rise up, and that God would lean down and smile once again on our nation.
This was Daniel's prayer over that nation that "bears God's name."
Daniel 9:17-19 (NIV2011)
“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our 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. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
Daniel set himself to seek God, to repent and "stand in the gap" for his nation. While he is praying, he has a vistation and a word from God that I want you to embrace as your own: "The moment you began praying, a command was given" (Daniel 9:23).
This message was given to Daniel before he started his fast. He was headed into a time of pursuit, and God was letting him know that as soon as he set his heart to seek the Lord that something was set in motion, and so it is with You! When we get serious about pursuing God for a spiritual breakthrough, renewal, revival, the restoration of our nation, and the salvation of others, something is set in motion.
Daniel fasted for 21 days and prayed three times a day during his fast. At the end of the fast he has another visitation from God. God meets with him and tells him something you and I need to hear:
Daniel 10:12-13 (NIV2011)
"Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia."
Although Daniel's prayer was heard on Day 1, and a response was set in motion, there was 21 days of resistance. While Daniel fasted and prayed, there was warfare happening in the heavens that he could not see and knew nothing about. And so it is with our time of pursuit. There is a very real and ever-present spiritual battle that is bring waged that requires resilience and persistence on our part if we are going to see the breakthrough and the move of God that we are crying out for. Now if you are praying for a better parking spot at the mall or to find your lost sock, I doubt that there will be any demonic resistance involved. But when we set our hearts to see a move of God in our city, to see the lost come home and the bound set free, be prepared for resistence. Yet we wait in faith, we fast in faith, and we understand that we win if we don't quit! Just keep showing up!
MEMORY VERSE: "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Luke 18:1 (NIV2011)
PRAYER DIRECTIVE: Ask God to put resilience in your spirit that will enable you to stand in faith like Daniel and believe like Abraham! Let's ask God for insight into the spiritual realm that we might understand the scope of what we are battling for and the need for faith and patience in the middle of the fight.
Ask God to give you a passion in prayer that will enable you to "always pray and never give up". You will be amazed at what God will do in your life if you'll determine to just keep showing up!
Adapted from Pursuit, By Dave Patterson, 2019, The Father's House.
No comments:
Post a Comment