Daniel 9:2-3 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. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Daniel is a good example for us in a number of ways, and this is one of them. His nation and his people were in dire straits, so He turned to God in every way he knew how. At that point the writings of Jeremiah (through his scribe Baruch) were well regarded by the faithful, but the canon of the Old Testament hadn’t even been settled. (Obviously, since Daniel’s own writings were later included.) Actually, complete Bibles didn’t really exist until the invention of the printing press, and it’s fairly significant that Daniel even had a copy of Jeremiah’s text. It means he placed high value on seeking the Lord, which we already know from the rest of his life. These days, written materials are so plentiful that we fail to value them, often missing what the Lord wants to say to us through them. In any case, Daniel took what he understood as being from the Lord and he prayed earnestly for its fulfillment. That is what we need to emulate. Too often we read the Bible and either fail to recognize that it’s more accurate than what we’re getting off the Internet, or we think that since it’s already written, we aren’t involved in its fulfillment. I read yesterday someone’s opinion that we are currently in the time of the Fifth Seal, mentioned in Revelation 6:9, because of the huge numbers of people who are being martyred in these days. If that is true, then the question becomes, what are we to do? It would seem obvious that we are to pray for strength and peace for those being martyred, recognizing that our turn might come sooner than we might imagine. These are tumultuous times, so we’ve got to remember that God is still God, whatever is happening at the moment, and in the end it will all be glorious, to the point that all the redeemed will forget whatever suffering they endured.

I have tended to be in the camp of those who have read and understood the Bible, but then failed to do anything about it. That’s not much better than those who ignore the Bible! I need to be earnest in praying for those in the middle of the turmoil, whether from open war, terrorists, or disease, not thinking that I’m exempt but recognizing that “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26) I am to pray, with everything that is in me, “Heavenly Father, may Your Name be hallowed, may Your kingdom come, may Your will be done perfectly in every corner of the universe,” and I am to offer myself as a tool for the fulfillment of that prayer, just as Daniel did.

Father, I do offer myself to You. Thank You for including me in Your plan. Help me recognize my part in it, however small or large, and apply myself fully to obedience, so that You may be pleased as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!