Tuesday, January 30th

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.  God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.  Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.  The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”  Psalm 46:4-7

Dear Lord, Help me to abandon my mullings over all my problems and the things that threaten my life.  You are the living God who loves to deliver his people.  I am one of them.  You have delivered me many other times so I have learned to trust you.  But because sometimes the way you let us suffer seems so random to me that I start to doubt your love and protection.  That’s when I need the big picture.  Every earthly trouble reminds me the end of this world is pending.  Every earthly deliverance reminds me that you will someday deliver me from this world.  I am safe now and expect your help today, but I am safe forever and that brings me peace that will not disappoint me.  Be my refuge today.  Calm my fears and help me to reflect the strength that simple childlike faith brings.  Amen.

The worst time of your life is the best time to rest quietly in God’s promises. 

Monday, January 29th

“I, Daniel, was worn out.  I lay exhausted for several days.  Then I got up and went about the king’s business.  I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.”  Daniel 8:27

Lord God, There is much in this world that would paralyze me and keep me from acting out and doing the things you have called me to do.  There is much that would immobilize me because of fear.  I pray, Lord God, restore, revive and refresh my spirit with your promises this morning.  Let your promises breathe new life into my soul that my fear might be removed and strength, courage and confidence from you might take its place.  There are a lot of things on my task list today.  I put them there because I think that they are important.  There are a lot of things on my calendar today.  I put them there because they matter to me.  Father, rearrange my life as you see fit today so that I might seek and serve you in the way that you see is best.  This is your day, Father, a day you have given me.  Use me how you will, where you will, and exactly the way you want me to be used.  Amen.

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.  Night is coming, when no one can work.”  John 9:4

Saturday, January 27th

“It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down.  Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it.  It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.”  Daniel 8:11-12

Lord God, As I continue to read Daniel, I see his dream fulfilled more and more clearly in these days.  I see how public worship, the public gathering of God’s people to meet with God and with each other, is being taken away and is under attack.  I see how the truth of God is trampled in the streets.  People mock it, ridicule it and assault it.  And if they do not outright reject it, too many twist your Word to say what they want it to say.  Too many make it say things that you never meant your Word to say.  Your truth is trampled in the streets, mired in the muck like pearls before swine.  And I’m only describing what I see happening in this country.  In other parts of the world, your church suffers an even greater attack and an even harsher persecution than we do here and now.  Yes, Lord, I still pray, How long?  How long will you let your truth be trampled under feet?  How long will your people be kept from gathering together around your Word and Supper?  How long must this go on?  I see and I feel the attack of the beasts on every side.  I pray Lord, for as long as this must go on, protect your church.  Protect me.  Keep me from treating your Word and your truth as a trivial or meaningless thing.  Sustain me and all of your people by the power of your Word that we will not falter or fall even while the Dragon pursues us into the wilderness.  O Lord, save!  O Lord, sustain!  O Lord, protect!  O Lord, help!  Amen.

The Devil will roar and rage.  His beasts will rise, yet they will certainly be thrown down before our Sovereign God.  Our God will preserve and protect his people.  He will keep us to the end.  Nothing-absolutely nothing-can separate us from the love of God. 

Friday, January 26th

“I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south.  No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power.  It did as it pleased and became great.”  Daniel 8:4

Lord God, So often in my daily life I get caught up in the pursuit of power, the struggle to get power, the struggle to keep power.  I like to be in control.  I like things to go my way.  And I get angry and upset and even aggressive when things do not go the way in which I would really like them to go.  Forgive me for this sinful and selfish pursue and struggle.  Lead me to submit myself to you and to your ways.  You are my King and I am your servant.  Help me to be a faithful servant and steward of all that you have given me.  Help me to remember that I am only a servant here to do the things you have given me to do.  Amen.

The world is not our oyster; we are God’s pearl.  We live in this world that God has given to us so that we might cultivate it and care for it.  We live in this world in which God has made us stewards over different portions of it.  Moreover, we are God’s pearl and he is shaping us by his Spirit, through his Word, and through the experiences of our lives to refine us as his masterpiece. 

Thursday, January 25th

“This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”  Daniel 7:28

Lord God, You have given us a view of the future that terrifies.  You have shown what has and what will and what must take place before your coming.  Terrible days are coming for the people of God.  I pray stay close to me Christ Jesus.  Stay close to my loved ones, dear Savior.  Stay close to my church, O Spirit.  Do what you must to keep us all in the one true faith.  Do not let the hardship of these days drive us from you.  Do not let the relative ease of these woo us into complacency, laxity or even apathy toward you.  Do what you must to keep us all in the one true faith.  Do not let the hardship of these days drive us from you.   Do what you must to draw us back to you when we fall.  Do what you must to keep us close.  I pray work in all of us and work in all the world so that we might be faithful all the way until our dying day.  We won’t make it without you, Jesus.  Help us!  Save us!  Amen.

Jesus himself told us: “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.  I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.  Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”  (Revelation 2:10)

Wednesday, January 24th

“As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.”  Daniel 7:21-22

Lord Jesus, Come to my side and fight for me.  All around me the devil and his beasts wage war against me.  They try to hurt my body and ruin my life.  They try to fill me with pain and bitterness toward you and others.  They try to lead me to despair and brokenness.  They seek to whisper in me and remind me of all that I’ve done wrong.  They tell me that I cannot be loved or forgiven for what I’ve done.  They tell me I’m unworthy.  They tell me that I deserve hell.  Father, come!  Come, Ancient of Days, and declare your verdict in my heart today that I may know that I am acquitted of all charges because of your Son’s blood.  Come and declare your victory in my heart today that I may be assured of my eternal victory in your presence and with all your holy people.  As I wait for your final return, Lord Jesus, fill me with constant assurance that the kingdom is mine now and will be mine forever.  Amen.

So, don’t despair child of God!  Don’t fear the accusation of the Devil.  He has been utterly defeated by the judgment pronounced by the Ancient of Days, by our Father in heaven.  He has declared the Devil defeated by the blood of the Lamb.  He has declared you victorious.  He has declared you to be his holy people. 

Tuesday, January 23rd

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.  He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”       Daniel 7:13-14

Lord, our Lord, How majestic is your name in all the earth!  You have set your glory in the heavens.  Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, the son of man that you care for him?  You have made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor.  You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

The Son of Man has come.  All things and all kingdoms lie under his feet! 

Monday, January 22nd

“As I looked, ‘thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat.  His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool.  His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.  A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him.  Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.  The court was seated, and the books were opened.”  Daniel 7:9-10

Father, Thank you for this vision of you on your throne.  You are the Ancient of Days, wise and good, powerful and mighty.  The beasts may roar and snarl and rage and try to tear your people to piece.  They may try to wreak havoc on this world and bring it into chaos, disorder and destruction, but you are on your throne and you will simply not let them.  Their rage has always been and will always be limited and been governed by your power and might.  Let this vision give peace and calm to my heart.  You are on your throne and you rule for me and for all of your people.  We’re going to be okay.  Truthfully, Father, we will be more than okay because you are the Ancient of Days and you are sitting on your throne.  Amen.

Rest your hearts in this vision that the Ancient of Days is on his throne.  He has been there and will continue to be there for all time.  All of the heavenly angel hosts do his bidding.  And he has, he is and he will execute judgment on all his foes and yours too.  No enemy will stand against you.  All of them will be stripped of their power and throne into the burning lake of fire. 

Saturday, January 20th

“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Grieve, mourn and wail.  Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”  James 4:7-10

Lord God, Keep me faithful to you throughout my entire life.  You are a faithful God who never turns from his promises and is relentless in pursuit of your people.  Don’t ever give up on me.  Keep me faithful to you.  Moreover, dear Father, do what you must in my life to humble me beneath you.  You are the only sovereign of this world.  Do what you must to keep me close to you and in the one true faith all the days of my life.  I won’t make it without you.  Amen.

It is good and vital for us to humble ourselves before our sovereign God.  He remains sovereign whether we acknowledge it or not.  Yet, it is always better to acknowledge it.  This is especially important for me to know as I live in this world.  This world is not my oyster.  I am his pearl.  I live in his world and he is refining me for his good purposes.  Even when I feel that I am in exile, he is never far from me.  Even when I am being refined and rough edges are getting knocked off, God is not far off.  He is faithful to us.  He is sovereign over my life for his eternal and good purposes. 

Friday, January 19th

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?  My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.  Posterity will serve him; …future generations will be told about the Lord.  They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn; He has done it!”  Psalm 22:1, 30-31

Dear Jesus, When you shouted David’s words from the cross you knew you were fulfilling this 1000 year old psalm and entering the worst part of death for all of us.  In your anguish you proclaimed to us that you were “Doing it!”  I love how this most quoted psalm ends, “He has done it!”  All my sins, even the worst, are erased.  All my guilt and shame is covered.  All my fears of a horrible end have been stilled.  I am forgiven because you have “Done it.”  This message about your righteousness will keep me from thinking I am forsaken by God when I meet troubles because your cross reminds me that I will always be remembered by your Father as a child of his by grace.  Don’t let me waste any precious time in my life by wondering if you and the Father really love me.  I can see your love in Psalm 22 and the Gospels.  Amen.

God’s Son was forsaken by God so that God could remember us fondly forever. 

Thursday, January 18th

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalm 23:4

Dear Jesus, I can do all things in life, even walk through the darkest dangers, if I know you are with me.  Knowing that you are at hand to comfort and deliver me and that you will ultimately turn everything out for the best, gives me peace and strength.  So, even though there are things that cause me anxiety today, I will remember that your presence will guide and protect me. Thank you for reminding me in your word that you never leave our sides.  Amen.

God is with us.  We don’t need any better promise than that. 

Wednesday, January 17th

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.  They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.  Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.  In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.  It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.  It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.  Psalm 19:1-6

Dear Creator of My Life, Your creation speaks to every human being that we are not our won and did not make ourselves.  Your beauty and majesty and perfection are seen when we get to see a sunrise or sunset shining through clouds you have formed.  Your stars at night tell us how vast your power and how expansive your reach is.  The consistency of your sun to appear and run its course every day reminds us that you graciously hold all things together for us.  Your glorious sun has outlived every human being that has enjoyed its light.  Thank you for inventing this planet and solar system for us to enjoy with you and thank you for redeeming us after we fell from grace.  Give me a holy passion to be as beautiful as your creation today in the way I think, I speak, and I live with those around me.  Amen.

Worship God when you enjoy nature and you will be getting the most out of it. 

Tuesday, January 16th

“I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:  He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.  Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.  You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’  Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.  Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.  Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”  Psalm 2:7-12

Dear Heavenly Father and his Anointed Son, In this passage, how lovingly you laid out your foundational plan for all to see.  You revealed your relationship to each other and your commitment to save us even though our wayward human race tends to resist you.  You promised a time of grace in our lives when we could kiss you with our hearts because we appreciate your sacrifice and forgiveness that flows from it.  Don’t let me stray away from your kingdom by following the ways of the world.  Instead, give me the courage to be salt and light so that through me more people would have an opportunity to know that you are the father and son who gave it all for us.  Amen.

No one will escape the great judgment before Christ’s throne.  That’s why he died for all people, not just a few.

Monday, January 15th

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.  That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-whatever they do prospers.  Not so the wicked!  They are like chaff that the wind blows away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”  Psalm 1:1-6

Dear Heavenly Father, I have experienced the prosperity of meditating on your word instead of the unending diet of worldly messages.  You have so designed your word to water my soul that if I choose to think about your words and what they mean for my life, I will be fruitful even in the dry seasons, because I have water for my soul that doesn’t come from my circumstances.  It comes from you.  Help my family and friends to turn off the TV, the radio, their phones and their laptops to drink deeply from your word so they will grow and be fruitful.  Give us the prosperity of life that comes from godliness.  Make us a reflection of how you bles people you have made and saved.  Amen.

The mind is divinely invented soil meant to be fertilized with God’s word to grow good things for everyone to enjoy.  Don’t pollute it with the garbage of unbelievers. 

Saturday, January 13th

“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.  ‘For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.  He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.  He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”  Daniel 6:26-27

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth;

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. 

This creed sets our God apart from all other gods of wood and stone which are not living neither do they endure nor can they save.  Our God is above and beyond, before and after all gods of the earth.  He is the Creator; they are creation.  He is living; they are not alive.  His kingdom lasts; they have no kingdom.  Our God is above and beyond, before and after all gods of the earth.

Friday, January 12th

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem.  Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”  Daniel 6:10

Lord God, You love to spend time with me.  You love to hear my prayers.  You love to speak to me through your Word.  I admit when I compare my spiritual life with Daniel’s, I fall short and am ashamed.  I feel burdened and weighed down by the idea of spiritual disciplines.  I sometimes even chafe under them.  Remind me in those moments that spiritual habits do not make me more or less loved.  I am fully loved by you totally apart from my habits.  I am loved and embraced by you only and fully because of the blood of Jesus, your dear Son.  Because of your love for me, inspire me to daily come to you in prayer, to daily listen to you in your Word.  Through these disciplines, I pray dear Lord, keep me always faithful to you just as you kept Daniel faithful to you throughout his time in exile.  I am a wanderer here and spend many years in this wasteland on my way to my heavenly home.  Keep me faithful to you, my only Savior, for all eternity.  Amen.

God, the One who has made you his own, loves to spend time with you in prayer.  He loves to sit down with you over a cup of coffee or at your kitchen table, hearing the thanks and the praise, the pleas and the petitions that rise up from your heart.  There is no guilt or shame for you to bear.  There is only a new life of seeking God in his Word and calling out to him in prayer. 

Thursday, January 11th

“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for changes against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.  They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.  Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”  Daniel 6:4-5

Lord Jesus, You have called me to shine for you.  You have called me to follow after you and to serve you in righteousness and purity.  You have called me to leave behind the ways of this world and to live a distinctively different life as I follow after you.  This is the life to which you have called me.  I confess that I examine the life that I live for you, I do not always stand out or shine in this world.  I work much harder at blending in so that no one really notices me.  I want to just go about my business and not get noticed.  On top of that, sometimes I do things that truly bring you dishonor and shame.  Forgive me for it all, dear Jesus.  Wash my sin away and cover up my shame with your glory.  And then, give me your strength to live a life for you that honors you and brings you glory in any and every situation.  I do not need to get noticed, Father, but I do want all people to notice you and to give you glory through the life that I live.  Help me to do this, dear Father in heaven.  Amen.

You shine bright because of him.  He clothed you in his glory and you do shine.  You have no more shame; your shame is covered with glory.  You have no more guilt; your guilt has been removed by the blood of Jesus.  The Devil cannot accuse you; he has been thrown down.  Rise up then into this day and live a new day covered by glory, released from guilt and free from accusation.  This is the gift your Savior Jesus gives you. 

Wednesday, January 10th

“Here is what these words mean:  Mene:  God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.  Tekel:  You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.  Peres:  Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”  Daniel 5:26-28

Lord God, Belshazzar did not learn from his father’s failure.  He did not learn from the lesson, the spiritual lesson which you gave his father when you humbled him and drove him mad.  God, I pray, help me to learn the lessons you long to teach me.  When you send your Word into my life, help me to hear it, receive it, and then use it in my life.  Your Word is not meant to be put on a shelf; it is meant to be used for faith and for life.  You give it to me so that I believe it and obey it.  When you send trouble and trial into my life, use this pain to draw me closer still.  In moments of trial, I pray, set your word deep into my heart so that it moves from my mind down deep into my heart.  Make your Word a living and breathing part of my day, my thinking, my deciding, and my acting.  Your Word is life.  Your Word is truth.  Take your Word-all of it- and plant it deep into my heart.  Amen.

It is good for us to take in Daniel’s account and take it personally.  It is good for us to learn from history.  In history we learn to see our fallibility, weakness and fragility.  In history we learn to see God’s rule over and plan for our lives.  In history we learn to see our Savior Christ who has ransomed us from sin and every evil. 

Tuesday, January 9th

“Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.  So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale.  His nobles were baffled.”      Daniel 5:8-9

Lord God, How often am I in the course of my life using things that are meant to be used for your glory and praise to pursue sin, to give glory and worth to things that is not truly god.  I don’t always see this idolatry, but if it isn’t for your glory then it is for something or someone else’s glory.  And anything not for you is sin.  Anything not for you is idolatry.  Forgive me.  Forgive me for misusing the gifts you have given me.  Forgive me for using them for sinful purposes.  Forgive me.  Help me to rise up today to give you glory and praise with my whole life and with everything in my life.  You have redeemed me to this end.  You have redeemed me that my life might be dedicated and devoted to you alone.  So, whatever I do today, whether I eat or drink, let this all be to your glory and praise.  For you, LORD, are Lord of all.  Amen.

Our God has redeemed us and everything in our lives for his glory and praise.  Our God has redeemed us and all that we have for him.  Let us rise up from this redemption and give him the glory that is his alone. 

Monday, January 8th

“But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.  Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven.  You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them.  You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand.  But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.”  Daniel 5:22-23

Lord God, You are the God who made the earth, the sea, and the sky.  You set the mountains in their places and placed the constellations in the heavens.  You made it all.  And me?  You made me carefully, uniquely, intentionally in my mother’s womb.  You are the God of heaven and earth.  In your love and with your might you hold my life and all my ways in your hands.  I admit that like a stubborn sheep I often go astray.  I do not honor you as the Lord of my life.  I acknowledge with my mouth that you are Lord, but in my heart I see a different thing happening.  I see myself trusting, honoring and seeking after other gods.  I see that especially in my heart I often go astray from you and do not give you the glory and the honor that is yours alone.  Forgive me, Savior.  Redeem me, O Christ.  Amen.

In God’s mercy, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him.  This is your spiritual act of worship to the God who holds your heart, your life and all your ways in his hands (Romans 12:1).