Daniel 9

Hope in a hostile world

Part 9

How long?

A common question today, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the Jewish people in exile were asking the Lord this as they longed to return to Jerusalem; the rebuild their city and their lives.

It can be easy to feel "faith fatigue" in these times. We start to wonder: is it worth putting our faith in a God who puts us through this? But we must remember - God can give us many things through trials. Listen to the silence and you will hear what you need in your life.

Prayer and the Word

Stuck in exile, Daniel turned to prayer and the word. Open communication with a God who listened. In Chapter 9, Daniel read the book of Jeremiah. He realised that he was living in a turning point in Jewish history. He realised that soon the end would come.

Getting to know the character of God from His Word allow us to live in His promises & to constantly have hope in the future. This fights our faith fatigue.

A serious conversation

Daniel's prayer to the Lord was a serious thing. He tore his clothes and fell to his knees. Serious prayer to God should be sacrificial, so we can focus more on God than what is around us.

Daniel recognised that the people of God deserved their punishment. He made no excuses. Yet he appealed to God's faithfulness. God had promised judgement, yet He had also promised an end to the exile. So Daniel prayed out of hope (certainty) that God will keep His promises. He knew God would be merciful.

God is merciful

A key part of God's character is mercy. Daniel knew this and so he relied on God's eventual mercy towards His people. Mercy is what we receive because of Jesus. That mercy is our only hope towards a relationship with God.

God is honourable

The reputation of God is key to those who do not know God believing in Him. God's name should be the driving concern of our prayers.

7s

The ending of this chapter is yet another apocryphal vision. It is a reasurrance of the future God has planned for His people.

The first thing Daniel was told was that he was precious to God. And so are we. So don't worry about the times and dates.

Another key takeaway is that God's plan is indestructible. There is victory ahead in Christ. A victory that has already begun and will be complete on the mysterious day.

How long?

So what was God's answer? Well He told Daniel that's exile would end - that was sure. But there was more.

God showed Daniel that there would be continued freedom in His plan. There would be a ruler to come and rebuild God's kingdom. Any who stand against it will be destroyed. But everyone will have to wait for the kingdom to arrive in it's full glory. As we journey towards that, we will often ask "how long?". But living this way is what it means to be living in faith.