The Grace upon Daniel

UV 823/10,000 The Grace upon Daniel At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. Daniel 9 v 23 From the first time Daniel humbled himself to seek the Lord, He won the favour of God. The Lord commanded his chief angel Gabriel to go to him to answer him and to encourage him with a vision from the Lord. Gabriel did so by conveying the message that he was greatly loved by God and that he would be given wisdom and understanding to interpret the vision. The Lord watches how consistent, faithful, diligent and disciplined we are. In Daniel’s prayer life, we find all the elements of balanced prayer contained in the acronym ACTS, namely, adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. Daniel’s prayer life is a model for us. Daniel pleased the Lord by humbling himself and glorifying the Lord. He fasted, prayed and pleaded. Daniel also pleased the Lord by his boldness, his willingness to risk all in order to obey His will. The third aspect of Daniel’s character that won the favour of God was his integrity or uprightness. The aspect of Daniel’s qualities that won him the esteem of kings was his diligence in attending to his professional duties as an administrator of the empire, his loyalty and his fierce devotion to God as well as the gift he exercised in interpreting the dreams of the king. Grace is the upliftment and enablement God gives us when we chose to consistently humble ourselves before Him. We are to reflect deeply on the matters the Lord has confided in us and we are to consider the vision He has shown us. Many of the visions Daniel was shown and the prophetic word he wrote are yet to come to pass. Some have already happened like the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. But Daniel considered the vision against the backdrop of his own times. He understood that some of the visions were to be fulfilled at the end of time. The Lord is looking for Daniels in our times. He holds in high esteem those who fear His name and obey Him. He will send us angelic messengers. He will give us spiritual gifts that we can exercise. He will pour the spirit of excellence that He anointed Daniel with upon us too. We will be given visions that we can consider, understand and interpret. Prateep V Philip