Daniel 9:17 “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.”
Daniel was a visionary. He was a praying man. He didn’t live in a dream world. He kept his perspective. He redeemed the time. Otherwise he would have been caught up in himself. Daniel lived in the stark reality, a reality that caused him to pray.
He had known prayer since his adolescence. As a young man he was taken captive to Babylon. Now he’s an old man. Thinking back to his youth, he remembered his homeland. His last glimpses were probably of the heathen pillaging the land and the temple. Daniel never forgot his home. He knew the shape everything was in but didn’t think it was too late to pray. He could have gone ahead and served the devil, but he still believed that no matter what shape the land of Israel was in or in what shape the temple was in that God still had a love for Zion. That’s why he prayed. He loved his country, his people, and God’s house.
This can keep us going. No matter how pressed or oppressed we are by the Nebuchadnezzar’s of our present day, the Word of God is still the same. The House of God still means the same thing. God still knows his people. Daniel searched his heart and the situation of his people. What he found caused him to pray. The times and people may pressure you to give up, but get on your knees. Daniel always sought God and got through because he let God get through to him. Nebuchadnezzar couldn’t stop it. We can still get through to God just like Daniel did.
Daniel’s prayer concerned God’s house. It speaks to us about this physical building and to us as a temple of the Holy Spirit. God holds both close to his heart. God held the magnificent temple in Jerusalem as his throne room. That was his earthly house. He held his people dear even though they were exile. You may think your prayers go up, that your efforts go forth, but that the devil throws a wet blanket on it all. No matter what, God can work through anything. Paul said “nothing shall separate us from God.”
In desolation it was not too late to pray. We need to follow this. We need to praise God still. Daniel was old and broken in body, but he could still pray. Regardless of how we age, God is still the same. We hold the truth of God, and it’s what this world needs.
We need the Lord. We feel desolate. There are a lot of things that work on our spiritual life. Let’s not let it get to us. God is still real. Say what Daniel said. “Cause they face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate.” Daniel simply asked the Lord to smile down on them. God’s answer was that the people would soon be allowed to go home.
More than hope, we have God’s smile. Even though the gates of hell work against you, let your first request to the Lord be for his smile upon you. It drove Daniel to his knees. It’s hard to see a smile anymore, but God will. Come honest. Look through the midst of your present situation, your present desolation. Just like God did for Daniel, he’ll send his angels down with the answers you need. You’ll feel the warmth of his smile.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 