Psalm 5:2 “Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.”

[Praise you, Heavenly Father, that with the help of the Spirit, we can come to you through Jesus in prayer. Praise you that when we don’t know how to pray or what to pray, you, Holy Spirit both guide us and intercede for us. Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you also pray for us.

Prayer is your idea, it is your invitation for us to join you in your great work; it is your invitation into your throne room, into your heart. Praise that you give ear to us, to consider our heart’s desire and listen to our cry for help—and that you will answer: “In the day of my trouble I will call to the Lord, for he will answer me” (Psa. 86:7). “The Lord fulfills the desires of those who fear him, he hears their cry and saves them” (Psa. 145).]
[The One we pray to is our King and our God, not to some far away deity, not to some heartless, capricious, unconcerned god like that of Is.lam. We have a God who is the Ruler of the universe, who is sovereign over all. We belong to THE God who is the Creator and Sustainer of all, the final authority and the Beginner and Ender of all.

And you, Lord Jesus, have made yourself my King and my God. I belong to you; you are my Shepherd, my Lord and my Savior. You are intimately interested and concerned with your children, you are present everywhere, you go before us, you keep your hand on us, you guide and direct in the smallest details. You are my wonderful, warm, wholly good God! In you I can trust, rest, believe and praise you both in and for all things. I can be at peace, full of hope, joy and grace no matter what difficulties come into my life today because you are my God!]

“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand….” Daniel 1:1b,2

I’ve been going through the book of Daniel, which reveals a great deal about God and the way He works. The Lord accomplishes much with one stroke: in bringing judgment on Israel and sending them into captivity, He brought the Word of Life to a king and then to an entire empire.

Chapter four is clearly King Nebuchadnezzar’s personal testimony sent out to his whole expansive kingdom and beyond, urging others to believe: “To the peoples, nations and men of every language who live in all the world…It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me….Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven because everything he does is right and all his ways are just” (Dan. 4:1,2,37).

Look at how God accomplished this. He had, among the captives taken to Babylon, four young men who were fully submitted to Him. They very obviously knew the character of God and trusted Him to do what was right no matter what the consequences were for them—even though they had been captured, marched as prisoners to a foreign land and were forced into situations they hadn’t chosen. When three of them faced the fiery furnace they replied, “Our God is able to save us….But even if he does not…we will not serve your gods…” (Dan. 3:18). They did not complain, gripe or feel sorry for themselves—we can tell this because they were respectful and gracious in their interactions with those in authority.

And what means did God provide so they could be a witness? Crises: life threatening, impossibly difficult crises. In each one Daniel and his friends trusted God, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and saw God answer in spectacular ways, displaying His glory before many.

What does this say to us? How do we respond to crises? Do we know the character of God well enough to trust Him in the impossible, to turn to Him in prayer rather than to frantic action? Are we willing to be thrust onto the stage of witness where only God’s power can save us, seeing the unseen as reality? Or are we those who live in the natural: complainers, whiners, self-pitying victims, seeking to escape what is uncomfortable, unwilling to see how we are called to play important roles in the grand scheme of God?

One of God’s purposes in giving us the book of Daniel is to give us a sense of how He is moving history to a conclusion. He is able to weave into His plan even the myriad sinful actions of human beings done against His will, moving things inexorably towards the culmination of His goal.

Now when we see crises in our own lives, in the church or in international events we need to remember that we can trust God to use both the good and evil of man for His purposes. A fresh read through the first 6 chapters of Daniel does wonders for re-calibrating our thinking on God’s working in our everyday lives.

Prayer: “Lord, help me to grow in the knowledge of your character. Help me to respond in faith to the small every day crises and the big ones in my life with the sacrifice of thanksgiving so I may be a witness for you, opening the way to others for belief and growth. Amen.” –From the book “Edified!”

Psalm 4:6 “Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’ ”

[This is because many are willfully blind to the constant flow of life-giving goodness you pour out on us, Lord: your unending provision, your wonderful protection, the great attention from your heart to the details of our lives. People often choose not to see your light: “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him” (John 1:9,10). The people of the world prefer darkness because their deeds are evil: the light of Christ makes unbelievers uncomfortable.

You knew, Lord Jesus, that you would have this massive rejection when you came to live in the world as a man; you knew that from a human standpoint your time on earth would appear to be a failure; but you came anyway because you know what is best, and do it irrelevant of what people think. You keep on giving light (conviction, insight, wisdom, guidance and direction) and providing good (sun and moon, clouds and rain, seasons and years, crops and animals) even though people take it for granted, or complain about it.

There is so much goodness we cannot count it! From your keeping the stars in place to holding together every atom in the universe, you are doing what is spiritually beneficial for all human beings on every level, in every situation. You are marvelous, you are majestic, you are forever good–powerfully, patiently, persistently, paternally so, and we praise you for it.]
“Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.”

[And so you do every day, every minute without ceasing, with love and grace and goodness. We praise you for the privilege of having you as our Heavenly Father. Help us to live in the light of your face, to rejoice in the light of your presence, noting all that you provide every day, giving you honor for your generous, gracious and good heart.]

Psalm 4:5 “Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.”

[In the midst of all things, including those that make me angry (actually reveal my own selfish agenda), I must make the right sacrifices that please you, O LORD.  It is so easy to do what comes by nature, to sacrifice things that do not please you, to punish myself, to try to earn your acceptance by my own goodness (as if I had any!), by my own wisdom and strength.  But to obey you is far better in offering right sacrifices it is both far harder and far higher.

What are the sacrifices you desire? One is this: “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me…” (Psa. 50:23). “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.” (Heb 13:15).

This is what God calls for, the response that honors Him with trust, faith and heavenly wisdom: to praise in the midst of distress, to thank in the midst of pain, to delight in the midst of disappointment–this is a right sacrifice, for it is done fully by faith, not by sight—and by offering this, all is transformed: suffering, disappointment, hurt, persecution, injustice, loss and difficulty all become platforms for giving you glory, Lord.

As the Word says, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him” (Heb. 11:6). So offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving is a wonderful way to please God.

No wonder Paul could say in 2 Cor 12:9,10, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” Paul knew that praise brings power from God (that “he who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving…opens the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord” Ps 50:23b).

Paul knew this because God told him directly: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Paul believed this so deeply that when he had difficulties, he rejoiced, he got excited, he embraced them as positive:  “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.”

Paul’s understanding of God’s character, of His way of working, of eternal Truth, of the “right-side-upness” of God’s Kingdom compared to the “upside downness” of this earth that he could say, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” That is a sacrifice that God wants.

Lord, may I live that today, seeing the unseen so clearly that the power and truth of your Word may flow out of my life in responses of thanksgiving in whatever comes, in a sacrifice that will bring delight to you!]

Sunday, the day dawns cool and clear with heavy mists over the pond and fields. Praise be to you, Lord, that you watched over me in the night, that you never sleep, never lose concentration, never miss a happening, thought or plan that anyone has. Thank you that you have already been through this day before us, have seen all that will come and have filtered out what is harmful. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Ps 23:4a) You have planned to bring what is useful, good and filled with potential for my honoring you.

I thank you that you are my Rock, the only unshakable, unshifting, unchanging element in life, in the world, in the universe; I can rely on you always. You are my Salvation, the One who is there to protect, provide and guide. You are my High Tower: I can run to you for perspective, safety, encouragement and wisdom. As I abide in you, I will never be shaken. My hope comes from you, my honor comes from you, my security and significance come from you (Ps. 62).

Therefore you are my stability, my source of all I need; you are the Filler of my soul, the Redeemer of my life, The transformer of my heart. “Whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Ps 73:25).  Use me today to bring honor to your name. Help me to be alert to the leading of your Spirit, to join you in what you are doing. I praise you now for how you will guide.