Daniel was a prophet during the time of Israel's captivity to Babylon. Daniel lived in the midst of an ungodly people yet made it his responsibility to fervently seek the Lord for the favor and mercy of his people Israel. It was through the humble dependence of God in prayer that God responded to Daniel and revealed to him his heart and vision for their future as a nation.
To give you some context for such an initiative it would been worthwhile to share a little more about the Korean Church. The best concise description I could give you about the Korean church is that it is intense. No other Christian culture that I've been able to observe or hear about shows half as much of the religious zeal than the Christians here in Korea. From morning prayers, into-the-wee-hour-of-the-night worship and prayer services. The atmosphere is one of submission and passion. It is a beautiful sight.
God's grace has been sufficient in my time here and I have found great freedom in joining in the passionate cries of prayer and worshiping the way Koreans worship. Even while I don't know the words to the songs in Korean or the content of the sermon I could choose to posture my heart in submission and praise.
God has left our relationship with Him in our court. This means that we can go as deep as we want with him. The Koreans have challenged me in how deep I'm willing to go in my relationship with God. I've really grown to respect the level of dedication they possess and the holy discontent in never settling for what they know about God. They want more!
To be honest, my prayer life before coming to Korea was fairly hit and miss and has never really solidified into a spiritual discipline. I learn from Daniel and the Korean people that prayer is our humble dependence on God. It shows that we need him, that through the sacrifice of our time and energy, God responds and acts. I'm convinced prayer is not simply informing God of what he already knows but is also for the edification of our own hearts. It reminds us of what God cares about and thus partnering with him as a cooperative agent of his will in the world.
It's a privilege to be able to pray, to partner with God in seeing His power released in the world and in our own lives.
May we partner with God and pray as Daniel did with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and strive to know more of Him.
Humbled and Learning.
That I might Know more of Him.
Jer
Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. Daniel 10:12
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. Philippians 3:10
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
thank you :) LOVE
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