Living
with Our Backs Against the Wall
Daniel
Jim
Davis
Seemingly, the easiest time for most to pray
is when their backs are against the wall. It is not surprising that these
prayers are the most effective prayers. Good listening makes for effective
prayers. We are never more willing to listen than when we have no one but
God to turn to for help. When our circumstances drive us to our knees,
it is not hard to look up. We develop a keen awareness of God when we discover
our helplessness. The trials of life point us to our creator; this is why
you don’t find atheists in foxholes.
We turn to God in difficult times, not because
we are righteous, but because we know the faithfulness of his steadfast
love. Daniel prayed such a prayer.
Daniel 9:17-19
"Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions
of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate
sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation
of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you
because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord,
listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God,
do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."(NIV)
It is comforting to know God doesn’t hear
our prayers because we are righteous, but because of his righteousness
and faithfulness toward us. Daniel was at least 65 years old when he prayed
this prayer. He had been taken from his homeland when he was just a boy
12-15 years old. He had spent his life with his back against the wall.
Sin has a way of putting our backs against
the wall. It was because of Daniel’s sins and Israel’s sins that
Daniel lived with nowhere to look but up.
Daniel 9:13-16
Just as it is written in the Law of Moses,
all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of
the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your
truth. The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the
LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed
him. "Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a
mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day,
we have sinned, we have done wrong. O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous
acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your
holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem
and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. (NIV)
Daniel admits his disaster is the result of
Israel’s disobedience. Daniel includes himself in the sins of his nation.
Daniel prayed unto the Lord and made his confession "we have not
sought the favor of the Lord", "we have sinned" and "our sins and the iniquities
of our fathers have made Jerusalem an object of scorn." For too
many years of my life I believed the reason God heard Daniel’s prayers
was because he was a very righteous person. Daniel prays not because of
his righteousness, but because of God’s faithfulness. According to Paul
it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us.
Putting Things In Perspective
As we read the book of Daniel, it is easy
to understand God’s presence with Daniel in difficult times. What we often
overlook is the fact that Daniel’s life was lived in difficult times because
of his sins and the sins of his fathers. However, God’s presence is realized
throughout Daniel’s life. God had scattered Daniel and his people throughout
foreign countries because of their unfaithfulness. When Daniel
prayed he said, "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered
with shame-- the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both
near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because
of our unfaithfulness to you."
In Daniel’s confession, he confessed "We
have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name
to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the
land . . . All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing
to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law
of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have
sinned against you." (Daniel 9:6, 11 NIV)
There is a great disparity in Daniel’s life.
Daniel was a member of the tribe of Levi. When he was brought to Babylon,
he was extremely concerned about not violating the dietary laws of God,
but he was being judged for his participation in violating the Law of Moses
and the prophets. As a young man he was probably following in the footsteps
of the priest while unaware of their sins and his sin against God. Sixty-five
years later he has no problem understanding the prophets and their warnings.
Daniel 9:1-3
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes
(a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom--in
the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures,
according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the
desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord
God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth
and ashes. (NIV)
The judgment of God brought Daniel to
Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon as a captive. His fathers served as priest
at the temple, but they had failed to heed the warnings of the prophets
and the Law of Moses. According to Daniel’s confession he is not brought
to Babylon as an innocent bystander but as an active participant in Israel's
sin. He is part of the problem.
The perspective on life at age 65, as
one looks at the past, is much different than one's perspective at 15.
It seems that Daniel finally sees himself as a part of Israel's problem
when he was about 65. This was probably right after he had been thrown
into the Lion's Den.
I had a lady to express doubt about to her
salvation. The lady is probably 65 years old. She said, "As I look back
at my life, I am not certain I repented of some of my sins in my past."
In her spiritual growth she was looking back and recognizing sin in her
past she had never seen before. She became uneasy about her salvation,
as she wondered if she was really saved in the first place. I assured her
that this was normal because we see things about ourselves at 65 or 53
that we have never seen. This is called growth. It is alarming, as we all
know, but God had protected Daniel through the Lion's Den before Daniel
fully recognized himself as a part of Israel's problem.
God is faithful in our growth process.
He had known about Daniel's sin from the very first, but God remained faithful
in salvaging Daniel's life, so it is with us. When we become enlightened
about our sin, all we have to do is repent of the specific sin or sins.
Our lives were set on a never ending road of repentance when we were initially
saved. Just recognize the sin and commit it to God's trust as you would
any other sin. It is not an indication that we were never saved.
God's discipline is a purging process
to enlighten us to what is wrong. When God forces us to pass through
the crucible of discipline for our own wrongdoing he will not forsake us.
This is the most encouraging hope for all of us. God remained faithful
to Daniel throughout his life, although he had been judged and was being
punished for his sin.
Daniel's Prayers were Prayers for Survival
Often, the truly great people of God seemed
to have lived a great portion of their lives with their backs against the
wall before they got a clear revelation of God. Daniel was no exception.
Living with his back to the wall made Daniel a man of prayer. He prayed
three times a day, every day. For this he was thrown into the Lion’s den.
Daniel was forced to rely totally upon
God for his survival. Daniel lived under the reign of four of the
most ruthless rulers the ancient world had ever known. When Daniel interpreted
the dreams and visions of these kings he was forced to tell them of their
demise.
Finding Daniel praying three times a day is
not coincidental. It is a matter of life and death. The first time we see
Daniel driven to his knees in prayer was following Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
The king declared his intent to kill all the wise men because they could
not tell him his dream and reveal the meaning. When Daniel heard about
the king’s proclamation he went home and prayed.
Daniel 2:17-19
Then Daniel returned to his house and explained
the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them
to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that
he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men
of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.
Then Daniel praised the God of heaven . . . (NIV)
It is amazing to behold God working in the
lives of kings and peasants alike to reveal his will. God is punishing
the Israelites by allowing them to go into Babylonian captivity. Daniel's
presence in Nebuchadnezzar's palace is also God's way of revealing the
true God of heaven to the king. God is speaking to Nebuchadnezzar through
a dream and to Daniel through prayer. Before the story is finished Nebuchadnezzar
will be on his knees extolling the glory of God. (Daniel 4:34-37)
It is not easy living in an ungodly world.
Too
often, we are so caught up in living that we are blinded to the fact that
we are a part of the problem. We fail to realize that even though we are
a part of the problem, God can use us in his service. Often we are so tied
up in being religious, that we become ungodly. Sometimes we may be like
Daniel in his youth. We become so caught up in following the religious
practices of those around us that we are blinded to our personal sins.
Usually there is a refusal to see this until our backs are against the
wall in desperation.
Our Backs Really are Against the Wall
Solomon saw his inability to function without
God.
I King 3:7-10
"Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant
king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and
do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among
the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.
So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish
between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of
yours?" The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. (NIV)
Today our battles are just as real and
just as deadly as was Daniel’s. We may not be facing the most ruthless
rulers the world has ever known, but without God our backs really are against
the wall.
Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers
of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms. (NIV)
2 Corinthian 10:3-5
For though we live in the world, we do not
wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons
of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against
the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient
to Christ. (NIV)
Our strength is often found in our weaknesses,
just as it was in Daniel’s life. It is our weaknesses, which allow
us to discover the power of God. Daniel's need of God's wisdom to interpret
dreams made him strong.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
To keep me from becoming conceited because
of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in
my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with
the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient
for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast
all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest
on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults,
in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then
I am strong. (NIV)
God desires to step into our lives in
a powerful way. When Daniel prayed
for the wisdom and insight to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream he allowed
God to step into his life in a powerful way. In all or our discipline and
trials, God’s faithfulness will always lead us to a place where we have
nowhere to look but up. It is at that precise moment that we are enabled
to allow God to enter our lives to work his will in a very personal way.
Daniel 2:19b-23
Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:
"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives
wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and
hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and
power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known
to us the dream of the king." (NIV)
God wishes to save the sinner as well
as the saint. We may think powerful answers to prayer are reserved
only for those like Daniel, but it is not true.
Isaiah 55:6-9
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call
on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man
his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon. "For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my
thoughts than your thoughts. (NIV)
Luke 15:20-23
So he got up and went to his father. "But
while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with
compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed
him. "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against
you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said
to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring
on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill
it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. (NIV)
When the consequences of our sin have
our backs against the wall, God desires to give us the wisdom we need.
Job 28:12-13
"But where can wisdom be found? Where does
understanding dwell? Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found
in the land of the living. (NIV)
Job 28:23-24
God understands the way to it and he alone
knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything
under the heavens. (NIV)
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask
God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be
given to him. (NIV)
The story of Daniel teaches us that
we must trust in God. In the crucible of God’s judgment, Daniel
was driven to his knees in prayer, as his back was pressed solid against
the wall. When Daniel stood before the greatest world ruler of his day
he chose to put his trust in God. This decision served him well as a succession
of world leaders came to the throne during his lifetime.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and
he will make your paths straight. (NIV)
Jeremiah 1:6-8
"Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know
how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say,
'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever
I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue
you," declares the LORD. (NIV)
Conclusion:
Our salvation depends upon God’s faithfulness
to us even when we fail in our faithfulness. God will not let us down,
he will not let us go and he surely will not let us off. He will allow
difficulties to come into our lives to press our backs against the wall
so that we might look to him for help.
God is our only hope and we must remember
that he made provision for our sins while we were sinners. How much more
is he willing to do for us today?
