Among the many fasts outlined in the Bible, the fast of intercession is one of the most misunderstood, ignored, and overlooked. There is no clearer example of an actual fast of intercession than Daniel. Yes, that Daniel, the one for whom the angels shut the mouths of the hungry lions. Although his experience in the lion’s den is more exciting by half, his reaction to having understood Jeremiah’s prophecy is more of a teachable moment.
Daniel 9:1-3, “In the first year of Darius the son of
Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the
Chaldeans – in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books
the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the
prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of
Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and
supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.”
For those who prefer to stare at their navels rather than put
their hand to the plow, for those who believe that just knowing what is to come
exempts them from drawing close to the Lord, fasting, praying, and making
requests by supplication, it would be time well spent to see what Daniel’s
reaction was upon discovering that he understood the prophecy of Jeremiah the
prophet.
Yes, it is easier to armchair quarterback and tell others how
they’re not plowing right while sitting under the shade of a sycamore tree sipping
on some lemonade, but it’s laborers that are few, not management, and it’s
always been the case.
As an aside, Daniel wasn’t wasting his days away stargazing
and dreaming of better tomorrows. He was studying the words of the prophets,
meditating upon them, and waiting upon the Lord to give him light and
discernment as to what they meant. Far too many people insist they know what
the Bible says on a given topic without ever bothering to read it. What they
really mean isn’t so much that they know what the Word has to say but what they
would like it to say. Given that the little god mindset is still prevalent in
mainstream Christianity, because they want the Word to say a certain thing, it
is thus just by the power of their will and desire. I declare, therefore, it is
thus!
Everyone’s a junior theologian, with a thousand and one
quotes from their contemporaries about how this or that is no longer frowned
upon, or at least shouldn’t be, but not a one from the Book, not one from the
Scriptures. Rather than focusing on obeying the Word and doing their utmost to
know and understand more of it, everyone seems obsessed with defending some pet
sin and finding justification for some practice they’re trying their best to
shield and protect.
People aren’t looking for truth; they’re looking for spiritual
leaders willing to echo their feelings back to them and validate their
proclivities. In exchange, those spiritual leaders will be well compensated
because you can’t put a price on a numbed conscience. It’s also the reason so
many shy away from reading the Bible. The Word will rebuke sin in one’s life.
It will grate against the conscience and call to repentance because the Word
can’t be bought and sold; it is and will remain until every jot and tittle is
fulfilled.
The Lord had spoken, and Daniel had understood it. Seventy
years was the cap on the desolation of Jerusalem. After seventy years, the
people would return, the temple would be rebuilt, and that would be that. The
word had been given, the prophecy recorded, and even understood by Daniel, so why
not kick back, relax, enjoy the breeze, and wait for fulfillment?
It wasn’t a negative prophecy. It wasn’t a prophecy of
judgment or destruction but of a future restoration Jeremiah prophesied, and
Daniel was given to understand. It was good news, a word the Lord would surely
bring to pass, yet Daniel came before the Lord in sackcloth, in fasting, and in
prayer.
Even when God has spoken a thing, and you understand its
timing, you are still expected to do the things you would do as a believer and as
one who desires to draw ever closer to God. You can fast and pray for the
fulfillment of a word just as readily as you can fast and pray that God might
hold back from fulfilling a word. Either way, you are interceding on behalf of
someone, whether a person, a city, or a nation.
The people of Nineveh fasted and prayed that God would show
mercy and spare them from the judgment He had promised to unleash in forty
days. Daniel fasted and prayed that the hearts of the kings and the people
might be turned toward the plan and purpose of God and that they might not
resist it when the time came for God to fulfill His promise of restoration.
There is never not a good and proper time, situation, or circumstance to fast.
There is never not a good and proper time, situation, or circumstance to pray.
There is never not a time to seek the face of God, and make request by
supplication Not demands; requests.
Many believers today have sidelined themselves, grown
comfortable and slothful because they are fully convinced that any day now,
they’ll part ways with this dreary place, and that will be that. They don’t
consider that their duty and mandate as children of God is to be ever mindful
that God sees His children's prayers, intercessions, fastings, and
supplications. Just because I know my destination is fifty miles away doesn’t
mean I stop driving, content in knowing the distance. Yes, Jesus is coming, but
that doesn’t mean we don’t have to continue being His in spirit and truth just
because we know He is returning.
It didn’t take the devil or persecution to sideline the church; it sidelined itself, and no one was the wiser. Even with the knowledge he possessed that the 70 years were almost complete, Daniel still fasted, prayed, and interceded on behalf of Israel.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
No comments:
Post a Comment