WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.580 study in the book of Daniel. And you'll remember that the book of Daniel tells the story of a man 00:00:05.580 --> 00:00:11.359 named Daniel who lived in the late 7th and 6th century BC. And Daniel was a faithful Israelite 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:17.500 who was living in exile in Babylon. And the book of Daniel has two main points. First of all, 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:24.000 it's meant to encourage us that no matter how bad things seem, God is still in control. God rules 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:28.900 and he reigns over the nations. It's not just meant to encourage us, though, it's also meant 00:00:28.899 --> 00:00:35.060 to instruct us. As Daniel lives in Babylon, we are meant to learn how to live faithful lives in a 00:00:35.060 --> 00:00:40.259 foreign land. Now, we've been switching back and forth between these ideas of encouragement and 00:00:40.259 --> 00:00:45.459 instruction. In Daniel chapters 4 and 5, we were looking mainly at encouragement, seeing that God's 00:00:45.459 --> 00:00:50.560 the one in charge no matter what's going on in the nations around us. And we've turned recently back 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:55.599 to instruction. And I remember I told you last week we're taking a step back to look at some secondary 00:00:55.600 --> 00:01:01.640 themes that are lying below the surface for us. Last week, we looked at the idea of work. What does 00:01:01.640 --> 00:01:08.760 God think about our work? How is he at work in it? And how do we move forward with joy? This week, 00:01:08.780 --> 00:01:14.099 we're going to be taking a look not at work, but at prayer. Because we don't just get to learn from 00:01:14.099 --> 00:01:19.319 Daniel about how to thrive in the secular world when it comes to our employment, but we also learn a lot 00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:22.740 from Daniel about his prayer life. And so we're going to do something a little bit different today, 00:01:22.739 --> 00:01:27.319 which is read sections from two different chapters of the book of Daniel. I'm going to jump back with 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:32.399 you all to chapter 2. You'll remember chapter 2 is the part that Mark Bates came as a visiting 00:01:32.399 --> 00:01:38.500 preacher and brought to us. And then I'll also read a section from chapter 6, which is where we're at 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:44.919 right now. And as we come to this, thinking about prayer, of course, prayer is something that's both 00:01:44.919 --> 00:01:50.119 on the one hand easy, on the one hand challenging and hard. It seems simple enough, right? 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:56.020 It's just talking to God. And yet when it comes to actually doing it, it seems incredibly hard, 00:01:56.320 --> 00:02:02.920 at times impossible. So what is it that's actually going to motivate us to pray? Why should we pray? 00:02:03.800 --> 00:02:07.520 You'll notice, by the way, that's a different question than how should we pray. We're not going 00:02:07.520 --> 00:02:11.640 to tackle both this morning, but we're going to be looking at the question of why should we pray. 00:02:11.700 --> 00:02:16.000 As Christians, we know we're supposed to pray, but we don't necessarily desire prayer. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:24.860 So we'll look to Daniel here as our model of what it looks like to live a faithful prayer life. And 00:02:24.860 --> 00:02:30.659 we'll see from him our encouragement. What we see in his life can be true in ours as well. And so I 00:02:30.659 --> 00:02:35.879 invite you to turn with me now. We're going to start in Daniel chapter 2, verses 17 through 23, 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:41.180 and then we're going to turn to Daniel chapter 6. I think, I believe, verses 6 through 11. So an easy 00:02:41.180 --> 00:02:44.819 way to track with me would be to be in your worship guide. Since both sections are printed there, 00:02:44.819 --> 00:02:50.139 you can, of course, also track along in your Bible or on your phone. You may just have to do some fast 00:02:50.139 --> 00:02:56.560 flipping. And so as we come to this, remember that this is God's word. And God tells us that his word 00:02:56.560 --> 00:03:01.879 is more precious than gold, even the finest gold, and it's sweeter than honey, even honey that comes 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:07.519 straight from the honeycomb. And so that's why we read now, starting at Daniel chapter 2, verse 17. 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:15.180 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:21.580 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his 00:03:21.580 --> 00:03:27.040 companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was 00:03:27.040 --> 00:03:33.540 revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and 00:03:33.539 --> 00:03:40.539 said, blessed be the name of God forever and ever to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and 00:03:40.539 --> 00:03:47.479 seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have 00:03:47.479 --> 00:03:54.459 understanding. He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells 00:03:54.459 --> 00:04:01.399 with him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:07.480 and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter. 00:04:08.640 --> 00:04:10.120 Now we turn to chapter 6, 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:11.920 starting with verse 6. 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:18.519 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, O king Darius, live forever. 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:22.420 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:26.600 the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:32.560 and enforce an injunction that whoever makes petition to any god or man for 30 days, 00:04:33.060 --> 00:04:36.820 except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 00:04:37.500 --> 00:04:42.120 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it cannot be changed 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:45.800 according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked. 00:04:46.760 --> 00:04:50.000 Therefore, King Darius signed the document and injunction. 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:56.360 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber 00:04:56.360 --> 00:04:57.899 open toward Jerusalem. 00:04:58.500 --> 00:05:05.639 He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he had done previously. 00:05:07.100 --> 00:05:10.639 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:05:12.459 --> 00:05:18.240 Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word that you've given us, which is always timely and relevant. 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:22.240 We ask that you would use it this morning in a powerful way in our lives, 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:27.319 that you would show us your grace and your encouragement for us. 00:05:28.019 --> 00:05:34.220 You'd also show us your challenge, that we would leave here with your power to obey your commands, 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:38.680 that we would understand the power that you give us and the access that we have to you 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:41.439 through your son and our savior, Jesus Christ. 00:05:41.540 --> 00:05:43.720 And it's in his mighty name that we pray now. 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:44.519 Amen. 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:44.660 Amen. 00:05:44.660 --> 00:05:44.740 Amen. 00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:55.100 I've been telling you all from time to time stories from this book called Candles Behind the Wall, 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:57.300 and it's about the church under communism. 00:05:57.300 --> 00:06:01.379 It focuses both on Germany and also on the Soviet Union. 00:06:01.820 --> 00:06:07.320 And there's one section where it talks about the persecution that was happening to pastors and Christians 00:06:07.320 --> 00:06:08.420 under the Soviet Union. 00:06:08.420 --> 00:06:12.120 There was all sorts of pressure that they would give them to, quote, cooperate, 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:16.879 and they used both threats and promises to get them to do what they wanted to do. 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:20.240 And, of course, some Christians caved to these demands. 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:23.580 Others, however, responded in a very different way. 00:06:24.700 --> 00:06:25.800 It tells us this here. 00:06:25.879 --> 00:06:31.620 The Christians under pressure often responded in exactly the opposite way that their persecutors intended. 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:35.959 A member of an unregistered Baptist congregation explains it. 00:06:35.959 --> 00:06:41.980 They wanted to destroy the church, but during those times, the congregation was stronger than ever. 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:48.100 They held together like never before, and they prayed more often than ever. 00:06:48.819 --> 00:06:52.060 At home, our children didn't pray a prayer they had learned by rote. 00:06:52.420 --> 00:06:54.680 They prayed from the heart with their own words. 00:06:54.680 --> 00:07:08.620 And so we see here these Christians who are suffering, were suffering under persecution in the Soviet Union. 00:07:08.960 --> 00:07:12.780 Rather than giving in to it, their response was actually to become stronger as a community 00:07:12.780 --> 00:07:18.800 and stronger not just in that way but in prayer and praying together as families and as a church. 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:23.579 We're looking at prayer this morning, and we see something similar here in Daniel chapter 2. 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:28.699 If you remember back to the time we were in that chapter, there was this story that King Nebuchadnezzar had had a dream. 00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:35.139 And, of course, it's not unusual to have a dream, but his demand was unreasonable and unusual. 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:39.579 He demanded that the wise men of his kingdom tell him two things, 00:07:39.620 --> 00:07:45.339 not just the interpretation of the dream, which is what they'd been trained to do, but also the dream itself. 00:07:45.719 --> 00:07:50.159 In other words, he wanted them to read his mind, which, of course, was impossible. 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:50.600 Right? 00:07:51.860 --> 00:07:55.860 And so when he realizes it, they're not going to be able to do this for him. 00:07:57.320 --> 00:08:02.620 Remember, we find out that he threatens death to all the wise men. 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:05.860 Daniel, being a wise man, is included in this. 00:08:06.020 --> 00:08:09.100 So Daniel and his friends have the threat at them. 00:08:09.700 --> 00:08:11.300 They are going to face death as well. 00:08:11.340 --> 00:08:12.600 And that's where we pick up here. 00:08:12.680 --> 00:08:16.379 That's the context for what we read this morning in verses 17 and 18. 00:08:16.379 --> 00:08:23.079 Daniel, knowing that he and his friends might be about to be killed, has an immediate response. 00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:24.740 We see in verses 17 and 18, 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:31.480 Daniel goes to his house, made the matter known to his friends, remember Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 00:08:31.939 --> 00:08:36.100 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:41.460 so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 00:08:42.019 --> 00:08:45.259 In other words, Daniel goes to his friends with a prayer request. 00:08:45.259 --> 00:08:46.720 He's going to his community. 00:08:46.860 --> 00:08:49.139 He's going to his life group or his small group saying, 00:08:49.779 --> 00:08:51.340 we have this great concern. 00:08:51.460 --> 00:08:53.220 There is this threat on us and this danger. 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:55.419 There's only one thing that's going to get us out of it, 00:08:55.480 --> 00:08:58.439 and it's this, me being able to interpret the dream. 00:08:58.539 --> 00:09:01.399 And so there's only one answer for this impossible situation, 00:09:01.580 --> 00:09:04.559 which is that we have to pray to God. 00:09:05.700 --> 00:09:08.580 We're going to have to ask him to help us in this situation, 00:09:08.580 --> 00:09:11.639 because we cannot do this by ourselves. 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:15.939 And then we see here, look with me at verse 19, there's an immediate response. 00:09:16.360 --> 00:09:18.100 They have this group prayer, right? 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:19.220 He gathers his friends. 00:09:19.319 --> 00:09:20.720 He shares this prayer request. 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:26.259 Verse 19, then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:29.419 There's a direct connection here. 00:09:29.500 --> 00:09:33.279 There's a reason that verses 17 and 18 are followed by verse 19. 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:38.539 This is not a coincidence, but the narrator here is telling us God revealed the vision 00:09:38.539 --> 00:09:41.539 because Daniel and his friends prayed. 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:47.240 And then Daniel goes on to have this prayer of thanks and says the exact same thing. 00:09:47.659 --> 00:09:50.100 Daniel's prayer acknowledges that God answers prayer. 00:09:50.220 --> 00:09:52.459 He does this both generally and specifically. 00:09:52.679 --> 00:09:55.779 First of all, he tells us generally that God answers prayer. 00:09:55.919 --> 00:09:58.939 Verse 20, we're told God has wisdom and might. 00:09:58.940 --> 00:10:02.420 And not only does God have this wisdom and might, he gives it out. 00:10:02.520 --> 00:10:07.960 Verse 21, he gives wisdom to the wise, knowledge to those who have understanding. 00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:09.960 So we see God has these things. 00:10:10.300 --> 00:10:11.880 He shares them with people in general. 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:14.760 But it's not just that he shares them with people in general. 00:10:14.920 --> 00:10:19.580 Daniel then drives to the point, God has answered his prayer specifically. 00:10:20.260 --> 00:10:21.960 Look with me here at verse 23. 00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:46.440 In other words, God revealed the dream to Daniel because Daniel and his friends prayed. 00:10:47.580 --> 00:10:50.960 Now I'm going to put this in a more drastic, shocking way. 00:10:50.960 --> 00:11:00.680 Had Daniel and his friends not prayed, it's very likely God would have not revealed the dream. 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:05.560 In other words, it mattered that they prayed. 00:11:06.920 --> 00:11:08.800 And so the point for us is this. 00:11:08.980 --> 00:11:12.040 Very simply, God answers prayer. 00:11:13.780 --> 00:11:16.540 God answers prayer. 00:11:16.539 --> 00:11:21.799 Now, this might sound simple and simplistic to say that our prayers matter, right? 00:11:21.839 --> 00:11:24.019 Not just individual prayers, but corporate prayers. 00:11:24.079 --> 00:11:26.699 This is a group of people who are coming together. 00:11:26.899 --> 00:11:29.659 John prayed for us this morning, the congregational prayer. 00:11:29.819 --> 00:11:31.179 That was not a ritual. 00:11:32.519 --> 00:11:36.360 That was something powerful where we came before God as a community. 00:11:36.539 --> 00:11:39.719 And John represented us giving our requests before God. 00:11:39.860 --> 00:11:41.899 We believe that moment mattered. 00:11:41.899 --> 00:11:54.120 It's not something that we were doing just to go through the motions, but we were calling out to the living God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, knowing that we have access to him through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:11:54.459 --> 00:11:56.179 And so he hears and he answers. 00:11:56.699 --> 00:11:59.059 Brothers and sisters, it matters that we pray. 00:11:59.980 --> 00:12:01.899 It matters that we pray individually. 00:12:02.100 --> 00:12:04.899 It matters, as Daniel did here, that we pray corporately. 00:12:04.899 --> 00:12:07.620 It matters when we pray to God for our country. 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:10.799 It matters when we pray to God for our work. 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:14.659 By the way, that's probably part of what Daniel is praying for here, right? 00:12:14.939 --> 00:12:17.559 We can imagine in this way he prays three times daily. 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:23.019 A lot of his prayers probably have to do with his work as a government administrator we talked about last week. 00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:26.939 It matters when we pray for our neighbors and our family. 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:32.319 And it matters when we pray to God with others in our community. 00:12:32.460 --> 00:12:33.960 That's what Daniel's doing here, remember? 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:41.480 Daniel finds his friends, he shares this great need, and then they join in it all together. 00:12:42.759 --> 00:12:46.240 We could say that Daniel, if he was a member at Cheyenne Mountain, 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:52.000 Daniel would have gone to his life group, and he would have asked for prayer or his Bible study. 00:12:52.139 --> 00:12:54.800 Maybe Daniel was a member, maybe he was part of the band of brothers. 00:12:55.920 --> 00:13:00.000 Daniel went and he asked for prayer about this situation that he was facing at work. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:05.639 Because he knew that God answers prayer. 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:09.379 In fact, we're told this in the New Testament as well. 00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:11.799 James, near the end of his letter, says this, 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:40.219 Brothers and sisters, the prayer of a righteous man or a righteous woman has great power as it is working. 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:45.220 That's what we know and trust and believe as Christians. 00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:49.139 Now, you might be thinking, of course, this is obvious. 00:13:49.460 --> 00:13:51.160 This is what every Christian believes. 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:53.600 We all say that God answers prayer. 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:54.960 We all say that it matters. 00:13:55.180 --> 00:13:56.100 Yes, that's true. 00:13:57.220 --> 00:13:59.259 That doesn't necessarily make it easy. 00:13:59.259 --> 00:14:03.059 Easy to say, not easy to believe. 00:14:04.620 --> 00:14:08.480 Easy to talk about prayer and intellectually recognize that we need prayer. 00:14:08.899 --> 00:14:11.100 Much harder to actually act on that. 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:18.120 Much harder to actually believe that taking time to pray is going to be the most productive thing that we can do, 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:22.319 rather than immediately tackling the problem at hand. 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:26.980 So here it cuts to the heart of what we actually believe. 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:32.160 Remember, we've been talking in Daniel chapters 4 and 5 about the fact that God's in control. 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:35.060 He's the one who rules and reigns over the nations, right? 00:14:36.460 --> 00:14:40.520 Our prayer life reveals whether we actually believe that's true. 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:49.319 If we believe that God is the most powerful one, that he is more powerful than any king or kingdom or nation, 00:14:49.659 --> 00:14:52.919 of course, we would pray to him, right? 00:14:53.460 --> 00:14:58.480 Of course, we would go over the head of every other ruler in this world. 00:15:00.819 --> 00:15:04.699 And yet, for me and for you, often, that's not the truth, right? 00:15:04.700 --> 00:15:08.600 This morning, when we prayed the Lord's Prayer, it was a political act. 00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:11.940 We were stating that God is the one in charge. 00:15:12.060 --> 00:15:14.520 He's the one who knows and controls. 00:15:15.020 --> 00:15:19.080 When we pray for our leaders, we are also making a political act. 00:15:19.240 --> 00:15:25.180 We're saying God is so powerful that he can change and shape and form and give and stop them. 00:15:26.280 --> 00:15:30.240 And so it's one thing to read and preach about Daniel chapters 4 and 5. 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:33.500 It is another thing to actually believe it. 00:15:34.700 --> 00:15:40.980 It's worth noting here as well that if there's anyone in the world who did not need to pray, it was Daniel. 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:44.360 Daniel, incredibly gifted, right? 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:49.560 He was chosen from a young age because he was so smart and so good-looking. 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:51.480 Remember that from chapter 1. 00:15:52.180 --> 00:15:55.720 He probably had an incredible ability to think strategically. 00:15:56.080 --> 00:15:57.980 He was good at strategy and tactics. 00:15:58.400 --> 00:15:59.560 He had high EQ. 00:15:59.560 --> 00:16:01.420 He knew how to get along with people well. 00:16:01.680 --> 00:16:04.379 He had the skills to get the job done. 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:09.399 If there was anyone who could afford skipping his time of prayer, it would be Daniel. 00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:16.559 He would be more justified in doing it than any of us here because he was so smart and so gifted and so talented. 00:16:17.779 --> 00:16:22.939 And yet it's Daniel who comes back three times a day as we see in chapter 6. 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:25.120 He considers prayer to be his priority. 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:29.000 It's what he gives himself to over and over again. 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:34.460 A man named Paul Miller says this in his book on prayer called A Praying Life. 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:42.019 If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life. 00:16:43.220 --> 00:16:46.580 You'll always be a little too tired, a little too busy. 00:16:47.379 --> 00:16:51.360 But if, like Jesus, you realize you can't do life on your own, 00:16:51.920 --> 00:16:58.780 then no matter how busy, no matter how tired you are, you will find the time to pray. 00:16:58.779 --> 00:17:04.920 Of course, sobering and convicting words, but also reminding us what Daniel knew. 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:12.480 Despite his talents and his gifts and abilities, Daniel's only hope, what preserved him and kept him, 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:17.500 the reason that he made it to Daniel chapter 6 when he's in his 70s or his 80s, 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:21.119 is because he came before God and prayed. 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:27.680 It's because he and his friends gathered together and brought their needs before the Lord. 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:31.299 And so, brothers and sisters, why do we pray? 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:36.539 We pray because we know and believe that God actually changes things. 00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:41.759 Prayer actually makes things in this world different. 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:45.380 We see that in Daniel's life. 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:48.519 We know it in our life as well. 00:17:49.960 --> 00:17:54.700 However, what do we do when circumstances don't change? 00:17:54.700 --> 00:17:59.680 Any of us who've lived life as Christians for a long time know there's times, 00:17:59.819 --> 00:18:03.340 there's moments when we pray to God over and over for something, right? 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:06.259 And God chooses not to give us those things. 00:18:07.740 --> 00:18:12.539 And there's a reason here for prayer beyond just the fact that God answers that he's powerful 00:18:12.539 --> 00:18:14.059 and he changes it. 00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:16.000 Daniel here is in Babylon, right? 00:18:16.120 --> 00:18:18.640 Prayer did not stop Israel from going into exile. 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:22.620 And so, we see as we're looking at our motivation for prayer, 00:18:22.740 --> 00:18:25.940 it's not just that prayer changes the circumstances around us. 00:18:25.980 --> 00:18:28.640 It's not just that prayer changes things and the world. 00:18:28.820 --> 00:18:32.240 We also see that prayer changes us. 00:18:33.140 --> 00:18:36.580 I ask you to turn now with me to Daniel chapter 6. 00:18:37.020 --> 00:18:39.720 And we have a different story that we started last week. 00:18:40.740 --> 00:18:43.120 Remember, last week we had Daniel, the good worker. 00:18:43.540 --> 00:18:45.380 There was this complaint brought against him. 00:18:45.900 --> 00:18:47.580 Not a complaint, but jealousy, right? 00:18:47.579 --> 00:18:49.419 The other workers were jealous of him. 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:50.220 He was being promoted. 00:18:50.379 --> 00:18:51.720 First, he was one of the top three. 00:18:51.859 --> 00:18:57.059 Then he was going to be the top dog in the entire empire because he was such a good worker. 00:18:57.199 --> 00:18:58.159 And so, they thought to themselves, 00:18:58.379 --> 00:19:01.019 what are we going to be able to do to take Daniel down? 00:19:01.059 --> 00:19:02.960 And we read this in verse 5 last week. 00:19:03.419 --> 00:19:06.599 We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:10.639 unless we find it in the connection with the law of his God. 00:19:11.199 --> 00:19:12.879 So, they know if they're going to trap him, 00:19:13.159 --> 00:19:15.619 they're going to have to attack him at the place of his religion 00:19:15.619 --> 00:19:17.000 because he's such a good worker. 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:18.779 There's no other way to find fault with him. 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:23.279 And so, we read today the next step in this plot to take Daniel down. 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:27.579 These men who are jealous of him go to the king and they say, 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:29.339 hey, king, we have this great idea. 00:19:30.019 --> 00:19:36.400 We think you should pass a law that forbids people from praying to anyone but you for 30 days. 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:38.980 And the plot, of course, is clear, right? 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:41.180 We know Daniel's not going to go for this. 00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:42.779 He will continue praying. 00:19:42.779 --> 00:19:43.960 We'll catch him. 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:48.460 Then we'll be able to get rid of him because he's going to get thrown into the lion's den. 00:19:48.980 --> 00:19:50.599 Now, we'll look at more of that next week, right? 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:51.920 But this is the plot that's being set up. 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:56.200 We're going to catch him in his prayer life because this is what we know characterizes Daniel 00:19:56.200 --> 00:19:58.279 and this is the way we can take him down. 00:19:58.379 --> 00:20:01.079 And so, we come to verse 10, which is really our focus today. 00:20:01.819 --> 00:20:03.980 Daniel finds out about this and we read, 00:20:03.980 --> 00:20:31.460 What does Daniel do to the threat of death if he prays? 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:34.319 He ignores it and he prays. 00:20:34.700 --> 00:20:39.779 Chapter 6 is the end of the story of Daniel's personal life in Babylon. 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:43.539 Daniel chapter 7 and 12, we're going to get a look at his visions that he had. 00:20:44.140 --> 00:20:45.160 So, we're at the end here. 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:49.880 This is a man who, for decades now, living in Babylon. 00:20:50.019 --> 00:20:51.120 Remember, he came as a youth. 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:54.539 He's been building this habit and practice of prayer. 00:20:54.940 --> 00:20:58.360 He has seen God over and over deliver and answer. 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:05.879 He has been able to remain faithful and continue to look towards Jerusalem all these years. 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:07.859 He hasn't been taken in by the culture. 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:11.479 There's something wonderful and impressive about Daniel here. 00:21:11.979 --> 00:21:13.439 In other words, the point is this. 00:21:13.799 --> 00:21:20.159 Daniel's practice of prayer has shaped and formed him to stand strong. 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:26.199 Daniel's practice of prayer has shaped and formed him to stand strong. 00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:30.799 Why is he able to ignore this rule and just simply go on praying? 00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:35.299 Because decade after decade, year after year, 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:42.920 he has been shaped into this type of person who recognizes that God is the one who's actually in control. 00:21:43.059 --> 00:21:46.960 He was able to continue praying because he had been praying. 00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:52.779 He had years of recognizing that God's the one in charge. 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:55.440 Years of experience with answered prayer. 00:21:57.559 --> 00:22:03.160 How do you have the strength to stand when things get hard? 00:22:04.860 --> 00:22:08.140 How do you have the strength to do what Daniel does here? 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:11.579 Well, you have to recognize, as we talked about in chapters 4 and 5, 00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:13.900 the true king and the true kingdom. 00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:19.019 How do you become a person that recognizes the true king and the true kingdom? 00:22:20.620 --> 00:22:22.080 You do it in prayer. 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:25.100 That's what we did this morning. 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:26.780 I'm going to keep coming back to this over and over. 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:29.600 When we prayed the Lord's Prayer together as a church, 00:22:29.780 --> 00:22:32.980 we were recognizing the true king and the true kingdom. 00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:37.420 Yes, we were praying that God would be at work in this world. 00:22:37.540 --> 00:22:39.280 We believe he answers those prayers, 00:22:39.340 --> 00:22:42.100 and our prayer this morning changes the things around us. 00:22:42.099 --> 00:22:44.839 Also, it changed us. 00:22:46.359 --> 00:22:51.139 We reminded ourselves again that it is God's kingdom that's in heaven 00:22:51.139 --> 00:22:52.679 that we look to be on earth. 00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:57.159 We recognize that it is God, not the government or kings or rulers, 00:22:57.319 --> 00:22:58.559 who gives us our daily bread. 00:22:59.099 --> 00:23:04.179 We recognize that God is the one who is able to forgive us of our sins 00:23:04.179 --> 00:23:07.559 when the culture around us can only offer to cancel. 00:23:07.559 --> 00:23:12.599 We saw prayer change us. 00:23:14.700 --> 00:23:16.899 We also see something else here in verse 10. 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:21.019 It's not just that Daniel has this habit of prayer that he's continued throughout his life. 00:23:21.279 --> 00:23:23.899 He also has a direction to his prayer. 00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:28.039 We're told there are windows in his house that face towards Jerusalem, 00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:30.700 and that's the direction he points when he prays. 00:23:30.700 --> 00:23:31.960 Why? 00:23:34.120 --> 00:23:36.480 Well, there's one reason that's the most clear, 00:23:37.059 --> 00:23:39.080 and that's in 1 Kings 8. 00:23:39.340 --> 00:23:43.240 There's this discussion of what God's people are supposed to do when they're in exile. 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:44.819 That's where Daniel is. 00:23:45.240 --> 00:23:48.400 And we're told in 1 Kings 8 that when God's people are in exile, 00:23:48.580 --> 00:23:50.840 they are supposed to pray towards Jerusalem. 00:23:51.539 --> 00:23:55.259 So in a simple way, in one manner, Daniel is simply being obedient. 00:23:55.400 --> 00:23:56.740 He's someone who knows the Bible. 00:23:57.360 --> 00:23:58.680 He knows he's in exile. 00:23:58.680 --> 00:24:00.480 He clearly understands the story, 00:24:00.820 --> 00:24:03.600 and so as an obedient Israelite, he's facing towards Jerusalem. 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:10.880 But why is it so important to God that his people in exile face in that direction? 00:24:11.060 --> 00:24:13.820 We know now it doesn't matter where we face when we pray. 00:24:14.060 --> 00:24:17.259 God hears our prayers regardless, and he hears Daniel's prayer. 00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:19.580 Well, I'll give you one way. 00:24:19.900 --> 00:24:22.720 As Daniel looks towards Jerusalem in his prayers, 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:28.600 he is reminded of the true reality, the true king, the true kingdom. 00:24:28.680 --> 00:24:36.160 In other words, he's living in exile with all the pressures of that world and that culture around him, 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:42.400 and three times a day, he points himself back to God and his presence and his city. 00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:49.720 He has to be reminded over and over again of what is true. 00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:55.279 And so there's a sense, brothers and sisters, when we prayed the Lord's prayer this morning, 00:24:55.640 --> 00:24:58.600 we were setting our eyes towards Jerusalem. 00:25:00.360 --> 00:25:02.819 We were setting our eyes towards the heavenly kingdom. 00:25:03.420 --> 00:25:06.620 We were reminding ourselves of what our true home is. 00:25:07.079 --> 00:25:11.680 We were reminding ourselves of who is actually in control in this world. 00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:16.900 There's this book I highly recommend called Hearing the Message of Daniel, 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:22.279 and he makes a few points about Daniel's prayer and the direction of Jerusalem. 00:25:22.680 --> 00:25:23.259 He says this, 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:27.920 To pray towards Jerusalem, then, was to align himself in the direction of the God of Israel 00:25:27.920 --> 00:25:30.900 and to embrace that God's purposes and values. 00:25:31.460 --> 00:25:34.620 It was like taking a daily compass bearing for his life, 00:25:34.619 --> 00:25:38.659 enabling him to set everything else in its true perspective 00:25:38.659 --> 00:25:43.879 in relation to the reality and the requirements of Yahweh his God. 00:25:44.679 --> 00:25:48.419 For Daniel, then, the key to the future and all the purposes of God, 00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:52.079 the meaning of life, and the source of his ultimate values, 00:25:52.639 --> 00:25:55.500 lay not in the city Nebuchadnezzar had built, 00:25:55.959 --> 00:25:58.359 but in the city Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed. 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:02.619 Brothers and sisters, the same is true for us. 00:26:02.619 --> 00:26:07.000 Our hope lies not in the cities here on earth in which we live, 00:26:07.399 --> 00:26:11.879 but in the heavenly kingdom that we long to see one day. 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:18.139 And so this is how Daniel remains faithful year after year. 00:26:18.219 --> 00:26:22.279 It's how he protects himself from compromise to the world around him. 00:26:22.819 --> 00:26:25.599 He's constantly in prayer, reorienting himself. 00:26:25.799 --> 00:26:30.559 He has that compass so he remembers what is true and who's in charge. 00:26:32.619 --> 00:26:36.679 It's not just that prayer changes the circumstances around us. 00:26:37.459 --> 00:26:39.319 Prayer also changes us. 00:26:41.899 --> 00:26:46.079 As many of you know, I became a homeowner about two years ago, 00:26:46.819 --> 00:26:49.539 and my home is now 26 years old, 00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:53.659 which means it has all the joys of midlife crisis 00:26:53.660 --> 00:26:58.420 and all the joys of contractor-grade things that don't work anymore. 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:01.220 So I've been slowly replacing these things. 00:27:01.300 --> 00:27:05.880 The most recent one was a portion of fence that I share with the neighbor behind me. 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:09.980 And I didn't realize it, but this neighbor was propping up the fence from his side. 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:12.120 He pulled out the props so he could show me, 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:13.920 and you can just shake the fence, which is not good. 00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:17.340 So we agreed we were going to replace the fence, 00:27:17.860 --> 00:27:20.960 and we just split the cost, right? 00:27:21.380 --> 00:27:23.019 So he paid half, I paid half. 00:27:23.060 --> 00:27:23.980 We got a whole new fence. 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:26.160 But here's the thing. 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:27.880 It's not just enough for me to get a new fence 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:35.220 because I know that this fence has incredibly dark days ahead of it. 00:27:36.560 --> 00:27:38.720 The fence is going to face snow. 00:27:38.800 --> 00:27:39.700 In fact, it already has. 00:27:40.860 --> 00:27:41.820 Baptism by fire. 00:27:41.819 --> 00:27:44.399 The fence is going to face rain. 00:27:44.919 --> 00:27:46.720 It's going to face all kinds of wind. 00:27:47.059 --> 00:27:51.259 It's going to face the sun, the Colorado sun, baking down on it. 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:55.859 And so what am I going to do if I want the fence to stand strong, right? 00:27:55.859 --> 00:27:57.859 I want this fence to last for 30 years. 00:27:58.460 --> 00:28:00.500 I do not want—fences are not cheap, I discovered. 00:28:01.419 --> 00:28:03.919 I do not want to be replacing this fence again anytime soon. 00:28:04.579 --> 00:28:06.179 Wood, by the way, is not cheap right now. 00:28:06.939 --> 00:28:08.339 So I want it to stand strong. 00:28:08.399 --> 00:28:09.939 Well, I didn't really know what I was doing. 00:28:09.940 --> 00:28:13.420 I went to Home Depot, quickly discovered I was in over my head. 00:28:14.140 --> 00:28:15.340 And so I found someone to help me. 00:28:15.580 --> 00:28:17.220 I was thinking I was going to paint this fence. 00:28:17.600 --> 00:28:19.220 He pointed me in a very different direction. 00:28:19.580 --> 00:28:24.620 And we ended up putting Olympic Water Guide wood sealer on it. 00:28:25.880 --> 00:28:26.960 Much cheaper than paint. 00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:27.900 So I saved a ton of money. 00:28:27.960 --> 00:28:30.100 I would have spent like hundreds of dollars in paint and whatnot. 00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:33.039 It's like a $15 bottle of wood sealant. 00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:35.139 What does that do? 00:28:35.859 --> 00:28:37.920 It absorbs into the wood, right? 00:28:37.980 --> 00:28:40.180 It becomes a part of the wood. 00:28:41.079 --> 00:28:42.720 It seals the wood. 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:44.319 It protects the wood. 00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:50.639 When the wind blows, when the rain comes, when it snows here in Colorado, 00:28:50.740 --> 00:28:52.000 even when it's supposed to be sunny, 00:28:52.740 --> 00:28:56.220 I know that the fence can stand strong. 00:28:56.220 --> 00:29:00.559 I can't change the circumstances around the fence, right? 00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:02.720 I'm not going to make it stop raining. 00:29:03.180 --> 00:29:05.579 I'm not going to make it stop snowing. 00:29:05.819 --> 00:29:07.440 I'm not going to stop the wind from blowing. 00:29:08.180 --> 00:29:14.500 What I can do is I can make sure my fence will stand strong when the dark days come. 00:29:15.579 --> 00:29:19.240 Brothers and sisters, the same is true for us. 00:29:19.400 --> 00:29:22.960 We cannot always change the circumstances around us. 00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:26.980 We know there are challenges and dark days ahead of us. 00:29:27.380 --> 00:29:32.940 Prayer is what prepares us and changes us to stay strong. 00:29:33.840 --> 00:29:35.360 We are like Daniel. 00:29:35.539 --> 00:29:40.319 Prayer is something that soaks into us and it changes us. 00:29:41.579 --> 00:29:47.660 No matter what comes, it is Daniel's prayer life that allows him to stand strong. 00:29:47.660 --> 00:29:53.440 It is what God uses in our lives to prepare us to stand strong. 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:57.340 People talk all the time about, you know, what are we going to do to prepare for what's coming? 00:29:57.960 --> 00:30:00.300 What are we going to do to prepare for life in this world? 00:30:01.019 --> 00:30:02.279 Well, there's a simple answer. 00:30:03.180 --> 00:30:03.920 We pray. 00:30:05.300 --> 00:30:08.980 We develop a rich and robust prayer life. 00:30:09.840 --> 00:30:12.279 You want to stand firm in the winds of this world? 00:30:12.360 --> 00:30:14.600 You want the rain to just beat up and roll off? 00:30:16.100 --> 00:30:16.540 Pray. 00:30:16.540 --> 00:30:16.600 Pray. 00:30:17.660 --> 00:30:18.100 Pray. 00:30:18.320 --> 00:30:22.160 That is God's sealant for us in this world. 00:30:22.279 --> 00:30:25.640 It is what he uses to strengthen and protect us. 00:30:27.340 --> 00:30:31.779 And of course, it should not surprise us that the same is true of our Lord Jesus. 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:38.000 Even as a perfect man living on this earth, he had to stay connected to his Father in prayer. 00:30:38.080 --> 00:30:41.640 We find out in Mark chapter 1 that he would go off by himself to pray. 00:30:42.200 --> 00:30:44.680 We find out that like Daniel, he didn't just pray by himself. 00:30:44.680 --> 00:30:45.700 He prayed with others. 00:30:45.700 --> 00:30:48.140 Luke chapter 6, he prayed by himself. 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:52.940 But Luke chapter 9, he takes Peter and John and James up with him to the mountain to pray. 00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:55.100 So Jesus doesn't just pray by himself. 00:30:55.360 --> 00:30:57.100 He prays with others. 00:30:57.099 --> 00:31:13.719 Remember, the night before Jesus is betrayed, and the night of his betrayal, Jesus is preparing to face suffering. 00:31:13.720 --> 00:31:17.660 And so he spends the time in prayer to God. 00:31:17.660 --> 00:31:20.519 Remember, he asks that God would take this away. 00:31:21.960 --> 00:31:24.480 He says this in Matthew chapter 26. 00:31:24.480 --> 00:31:27.200 After going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:30.839 My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. 00:31:31.480 --> 00:31:34.319 Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. 00:31:35.980 --> 00:31:38.579 Jesus' circumstances did not change. 00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:42.680 And he prayed in preparation for what was to come. 00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:48.120 And so, brothers and sisters, as goes our Savior, so also goes us. 00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:49.820 We pray as well. 00:31:49.880 --> 00:31:52.759 We pray because we know that it changes the world. 00:31:53.500 --> 00:31:56.620 And we pray because we know that it changes us. 00:31:56.619 --> 00:32:04.279 And if we're people that feel the weight of that, remember what Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 17. 00:32:04.899 --> 00:32:08.319 That faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. 00:32:09.619 --> 00:32:11.219 And so I want you to think about that in our prayers. 00:32:11.319 --> 00:32:15.439 If you feel the weight of this, if you're feeling guilty or shamed or overwhelmed, 00:32:15.639 --> 00:32:18.459 as the prayer of where you want to be and be going in your life, 00:32:18.519 --> 00:32:20.959 the ways you need to grow in your prayer life, I want you to remember this. 00:32:21.059 --> 00:32:23.259 God honors mustard seed prayers. 00:32:23.259 --> 00:32:27.119 It's mustard seeds. 00:32:27.339 --> 00:32:29.019 Faith of that size can move a mountain. 00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:31.440 And so it's okay to pray in this way. 00:32:31.519 --> 00:32:32.740 You could simply pray like this. 00:32:32.779 --> 00:32:34.440 You could say, Lord, I don't want to pray. 00:32:35.140 --> 00:32:39.039 And I know prayer changes things, so I want you to come and change me so that I would want to pray. 00:32:39.920 --> 00:32:43.599 I don't know how to pray, but I know that you've changed things through prayer, 00:32:43.720 --> 00:32:47.059 so I'm coming now to ask you that you would teach me and help me. 00:32:47.059 --> 00:32:53.799 Because God is the one ultimately who comes and helps and sustains us. 00:32:53.919 --> 00:32:57.159 It is him who strengthens us, not ourselves. 00:32:58.339 --> 00:33:04.220 When my handyman came to help me with this, he had one of those sprayers that you use for Roundup, 00:33:04.440 --> 00:33:08.139 and he filled that up with the water sealant and just sprayed it on, right? 00:33:08.140 --> 00:33:10.520 Now, it wasn't his power. 00:33:11.280 --> 00:33:12.380 It wasn't my power. 00:33:12.560 --> 00:33:15.140 What would have happened if he had filled the sprayer up with Kool-Aid? 00:33:17.259 --> 00:33:19.640 Would that have helped my fence in any way? 00:33:21.380 --> 00:33:24.580 No, brothers and sisters, the power is not in us. 00:33:24.660 --> 00:33:26.740 It is in the one we pray to. 00:33:27.880 --> 00:33:30.020 It is God who seals us. 00:33:30.100 --> 00:33:32.240 It is his power that's at work. 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:36.819 We have access to resources that come to us in Jesus Christ through prayer. 00:33:37.940 --> 00:33:39.779 And so we have great confidence. 00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:44.579 We know that when Jesus prayed that prayer, that the cup would pass from him, 00:33:44.740 --> 00:33:49.960 he was separated from God so that we would not be separated from God. 00:33:50.759 --> 00:33:55.299 He took the punishment for us and was isolated from God on the cross 00:33:55.299 --> 00:33:57.759 so that we could have communion with God, 00:33:57.759 --> 00:34:01.120 so that we could have relationships, so that we could pray to him. 00:34:02.240 --> 00:34:05.120 And so prayer is our communion to God. 00:34:05.240 --> 00:34:08.019 Jesus was separated from him so that we would not be. 00:34:08.519 --> 00:34:12.980 We have that access, and so it's not us earning or proving something by our prayers, 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:16.500 but coming and having access to the power and the resources 00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:21.519 all of which God has given to us through his Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:34:22.659 --> 00:34:25.639 And so, brothers and sisters, why do we pray? 00:34:25.639 --> 00:34:29.760 We pray because prayer changes the world. 00:34:29.760 --> 00:34:34.180 And we pray because prayer changes us. 00:34:34.760 --> 00:34:38.580 And we know all of this is true, not because of our work or our effort, 00:34:38.680 --> 00:34:40.960 but because of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:34:41.440 --> 00:34:42.680 And so we're going to pray to him now. 00:34:44.400 --> 00:34:47.800 Our Father in heaven, we thank you that we have access to you, 00:34:47.820 --> 00:34:49.600 and we can pray to you even in this moment. 00:34:49.720 --> 00:34:53.120 We ask that you would give us mustard seed faith. 00:34:53.580 --> 00:34:55.020 You'd give us mustard seed prayers, 00:34:55.019 --> 00:34:58.300 that even just as we're able as feeble and weak people, 00:34:58.300 --> 00:35:00.719 we'd be able to cry out to you, and we ask for your help, 00:35:01.099 --> 00:35:02.880 that you would make us people who pray, 00:35:02.980 --> 00:35:05.840 that we would be able to experience your power 00:35:05.840 --> 00:35:08.780 and your preparation in the same way that Daniel did. 00:35:09.139 --> 00:35:11.699 We thank you that we don't earn these things or deserve them, 00:35:11.739 --> 00:35:13.739 but instead we have great confidence 00:35:13.739 --> 00:35:16.460 because we ask for them in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. 00:35:16.820 --> 00:35:17.099 Amen. 00:35:17.099 --> 00:35:17.280 Amen. 00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:17.340 Amen. 00:35:17.340 --> 00:35:17.380 Amen. 00:35:17.380 --> 00:35:17.400 Amen. 00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:17.420 Amen. 00:35:17.420 --> 00:35:17.440 Amen. 00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:17.480 Amen.