Precious in His sight
O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.” I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain. As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Daniel 9:19-23 Daniel prayed pleading to God on behalf of the Israelites to allow them to be reprieved from the Babylonian captivity. The Israelites were defeated and were taken as exiles. Daniel knew that the captivity was the result of the sinfulness of the people. He asked God for forgiveness for himself and plead on behalf of the people of Israel. He wanted to make sense of what he and the people of Israel were going through. The only means he knew to appeal to God is through prayer. God in His answer sent angel Gabriel immediately even before he finished his prayer. Gabriel explained to Daniel that he was sent by God because Daniel was “very precious to God.” What a great testimony! So many times Daniel’s devotion to God was tested and yet he remained faithful. He did not waver in his love to God even if it meant persecution and threat of death in his life. King Darius the Mede took over from King Nebuchadnezzar. Some in the administration did not like that Daniel was appointed in high position. They planned to find a way to get rid of Daniel so they convinced King Darius to pass a decree. The king agreed so a decree was passed. “The next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions” (Daniel 6:7). But the decree signed by the king did not deter Daniel from praying to God as has been his practice. “He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God” (Daniel 6:10). The king was forced to implement the decree he signed and arrested Daniel and brought him to the lion’s den. But God spared his life and the king made a decree to fear and honor the God whom Daniel serves. “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). No matter how difficult your circumstances are, God knows and He watches over you. He alone can make sense of the events that are happening in your life and around you. You are precious in His sight and He will speak to you in time. His answer may seem to be not coming or might seemed delayed as in the case of Daniel, but it will come. You can always go to the Father in prayer even with your questions and as He promised He will respond to you in love. “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 5:9).
Blessings,
