“At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.” (Daniel 9:23 NAS95)
Age has not kept Daniel from communion with God. Nearing 80 years of life, his heart still fills with concern for God and His people. Daniel’s practice of prayer now has deep roots through time and experienced familiarity with the True King of Israel. At this point in his life, he hungered to know the times, so he searched God’s prophets in His Word. He knew two things about God at this point and they had formed the foundation upon which his soul rested, God’s compassionate nature and His faithfulness to His Word. Both of these Daniel kept in mind, and they formed the basis of his conversation as he prayed over God’s promise of deliverance near the close of 70 years of captivity.
We all know that God returned Israel from exile as evidenced by the books of Nehemiah and Ezra, which also point to the fulfillment of portions of the prophecy revealed to Daniel as a result of his prayer. Yet Gabriel, when he comes in answer to this prayer, makes sure to inform Daniel that God esteems him highly. I wonder what that did to the soul of this elderly, faithful saint? I wonder if Daniel, because he had deep, enduring and regular habits of prayer, already carried a sense of God’s grand love for him in his soul? I wonder too, if that might have provided the reason for focusing on God’s compassion and love as the basis for his requests, despite his having lived most his life as a victim of captivity in exile? Daniel knew God. His ability to handle life flowed from His communion with God and enabled him to lean into God’s compassionate presence in all situations. I wonder if Daniel was esteemed precisely because He recognized the compassionate nature of God and rested his life and prayer completely upon it?
For Reflection:
“For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NAS95)
- How much do you think Daniel’s habits of prayer contributed to his understanding of God’s love and compassion?
- What habits do you practice in order to grow in your experience and understanding of God’s compassion?
