Are you involved in what God is doing in the earth today? We can all be by praying for His will, for revival in the hearts of His children, for the unsaved, and for our leaders. Or we can run the risk of acting like Christian fatalists passively waiting for God to do what He’ll do.

Also, read about praying for our enemies, the result of not parenting God’s way, and the importance of walking in the light.

Today’s Readings:

Daniel 9 & 10
Psalm 137.7-9
Proverbs 29.15
1 John 1.1-10

Praying the Promises of God & Christian Fatalism

Daniel 9 & 10:

Are You Doing Your Part?

In chapter 9, Daniel had learned from his study of the Scriptures that the 70 years of captivity were close to the end. But instead of passively waiting for that to happen, he humbly prayed, confessed the sins of his people, and asked God to fulfill His promises.

Too often, we take a “Christian fatalist” view that God’s going to do what He’s going to do. We fail to understand that God wants to use the prayers of His people as part of the process of fulfilling His will. Prayer doesn’t change God, but it ushers in the promises of God and changes us as we get involved in what God is doing!

Daniel’s Prayer

Notice, though, that Daniel didn’t pray based on what they deserved. He didn’t say, “This isn’t fair,” or “Why are You letting this happen to us?” (Dan. 9.5-12). And even though he wasn’t personally guilty, he confessed their sins to God as a nation and asked for mercy. Then he asked that God move because of who He is:

¹⁸ O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name” (9.18-19).

Then in chapter 10, we see a glimpse into the heavenly battles that are behind the events of human history. Even though demonic powers are at work to influence nations and individuals to rise up against God, His people, and His work in the earth, it is God’s will that will stand.

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 137.7-9:

Praying for Our Enemies

This psalm was probably written toward the end of the captivity in Babylon. Perhaps the people saw the weakening of Babylon and looked forward to the defeat and complete annihilation of the enemy who had so pridefully and harshly oppressed them.

As believers, we, too, should look forward to the time when God’s enemies will be defeated and destroyed, but not out of malice or personal revenge. In fact, we should be praying for our enemies in the hope that:

“… they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2.26).

Proverbs 29.15:

A Child Left to Himself

The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

There is a theory about child-rearing that says, if you discipline a child, you will break his spirit. It holds to the idea that when human beings are allowed to freely express themselves, they will be the best they can be. Although that theory has fallen somewhat out of favor, some of its residual effects have permeated our thinking. As with so many other areas of life, we need to renew our minds to God’s way of thinking.

1 John 1.1-10:

Walking in the Light

Until the time when God makes everything new, we are to seek to live holy and righteous lives. John said we are to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (Jn. 1.7). He said that when we do, we have fellowship with Him and with others in the body of Christ and enjoy the joy-filled life that God desires for us.

We maintain that right relationship with Him and others by “keeping short accounts.” We need to be good repenters, quick to go to God when we’ve sinned against Him, and quick to go to others to seek forgiveness and accept our responsibility for any problem.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (vv. 8-9).

Closing Thoughts:

Are you a person of prayer or are you more of a Christian fatalist? What will your goals for prayer be in the coming New Year? What about your goal for Bible reading?

Are you walking in the light of God’s Word and allowing Him to show you areas where you need to grow and change?

Coming Up:

In the next few days, we’ll talk about false teachers, friendship, judgment, the Rapture, the Tribulation, the rise of evil, spiritual adultery, and spiritual maturity, and discuss the question, “How can we turn the world upside down as the disciples did in the first century?”

I hope you’ll join us.

Get Ready for the Coming Year with a Plan for Your Bible Reading

The holidays are just around the corner and the new year will be on us before we know it. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? I want to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible again or for the first time. If you join me here, I’ll take you through a plan that covers both the Old and New Testaments in about 15 minutes a day. 

You can read each day’s post or watch as I read through the passages on YouTube. Sign up here for my daily email. It has links to the written post and the YouTube video. It can serve as a gentle reminder to stay on track and I believe you’ll benefit from the additional information I share and grow as you learn to apply God’s Word to your own life.

You can check out our YouTube channel here.

If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform. Why not invite someone to join you as you both read through the Bible?

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.