“And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:”
~ Daniel 9:3
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever had to suffer the consequences of a bad decision that another kid made? Daniel had to suffer the consequences of the bad decisions that God’s specially chosen guys and gals – who were the Israelite people group guys and gals, made. Daniel ended up in the country of Babylonia – which is Iraq today, as an exile because God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem and in the land area of Judah, intentionally opted to putting worshipping inanimate manmade gods that were handmade from wood, stone, clay and metal over worshipping the one true living God. Daniel – even when it meant that he might be killed, purposefully chose to live his life only obeying God. Daniel recorded in his journal – which is the Daniel Letter, historical settings, messages from God and prophetic explanations of God’s messages. The historical setting in Daniel 9 has Darius within the past year replacing his dad – who was a Xerxes, as king over Babylonian’s empire of guys and gals. The timeframe for Daniel’s journal entries for this time was between 539 B.C. and 538 B.C. The prophet who Daniel specifically alluded to in his diary is Jeremiah. The messages that Daniel received from God were passed on to him through a holy messenger – an angel – who was Gabriel. Daniel thought of God as being great and awesome – the living God Who will never fail to keep His promise to lovingly care for each guy and gal who deliberately and faithfully heeds God’s commandments of being totally, wholeheartedly obedient to God’s will. God’s will was that He expected His specially chosen guys and gals – and now His specially elected guys, gals and kids to only worship and adore Him. Daniel includes himself among God’s specially chosen guys and gals who had done wrong when they disobeyed God’s mandates and laws that He gave them through Moses, rebelled against the expectations that God had of them that they only worship Him and turned deaf ears to the messages that were being sent to them by God through His prophet spokesmen. Daniel accepts the shame that he feels and that God’s specially chosen guys and gals were experiencing while being captive Babylonia exiles – as he knows that the punishment that he and God’s specially chosen guys and gals are experiencing is deserved because of their failure to honor and glorify only the living God.
Are you ready to accept a share of the fault of a bad decision that another kid has made? Or – are you always blaming another kid for a bad decision that you have made? Your grandpaa had a polarizing relationship with the director of SAMAir regarding ministry strategy. SAMAir is the aviation arm of South American Mission in Bolivia and Peru. Your grandpaa and Hal were missionaries on the South America Mission field missionary team that is in Bolivia. Your grandpaa thought of Hal as being just a pilot who had limited comprehension of missionary work and a marginal understanding of what the Bolivian host country Christ-follower communities of guys and gals were like. Your grandpaa thought of himself as being a Bible School educated missionary who had been taught how to use missionary endeavors and insights of what host country Christ-follower communities of guys and gals were like. Hal used a small plane – usually a 206 Cessna, to fly into isolated areas – such as the Sandoval Province region, where he would stay for a period of time. Joe would teach some, distribute ‘Source of Light’ Bible study material and stay in a local house. Your grandpaa knows that what Hal was doing was good but . . . your grandpaa sometimes thinks that he has a better way for doing something or that how another guy is doing something could be done in a different way. Your grandpaa went several times for several weeks with A.I.E.O. Presidents throughout eastern Bolivia using whatever means that was available – such as trains, pickups, planes, etc., to go from one Christ-follower community of guys and gals to another. A.I.E.O. is the acronym for la Asociación de Iglesias Evangélicas en el Oriente. Your grandpaa did not want to go on those trips to just visit South American Mission affiliated A.I.E.O. Christ-follower communities of guys and gals in Bolivia to encourage the leaders and adherents in these fellowships; your grandpaa felt it really important that the missionaries on the Bolivia South America Mission field missionary team get behind a contextually based Bible education program that would satisfy the vacuum or lack of having Biblically enabled Christ-follower leaders within A.I.E.O. Your grandpaa and Hal would disagree in formal meetings – such as in the Field Committee meetings, but after a meeting, your grandmaa, grandpaa, Hal and Hal’s wife – Jan, would go to a favorite restaurant to eat out together. They invariably would have a good time together. Because it really did bother your grandpaa that Hal did not agree with your grandpaa on a plan that would best help South America Mission’s A.I.E.O. Christ-follower communities of guys and gals in Bolivia, your grandpaa asked Hal’s boss one day how he could get along with Hal as your grandpaa really was having a hard time dialoguing with Hal in a ministry context. Dan immediately responded to your grandpaa’s question by asking your grandpaa if he was praying every day for Hal. Dan’s answer made your grandpaa realize that he was in the wrong because he was not praying for Hal.
Your grandpaa knows that if he does not pray every day for a direction that he seriously thinks should be taken or to be changed or for a guy or gal who he struggles working with or to be around, your grandpaa has no right to be critical of a ministry direction or to be making the life of a co-worker or acquaintance any more difficult than what it already is for him or her. Your grandpaa knows that he needs to always do what Daniel says that he did in verse 3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Daniel 9 (692)