Daniel's Prayer

Now when Daniel came to know that the writing had been signed, he went to his house (in his upper room he had windows open toward Jerusalem) and three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God, because he had always done so previously. Daniel 6:10

In my pursuing of the Life-study of Daniel, I was very much impressed with the ministry of the word concerning Daniel's prayer. An excerpt from Message Eight:

DANIEL'S FAITHFULNESS IN THE WORSHIP OF GOD

Verse 10 reveals Daniel's faithfulness in the worship of God. "Now when Daniel came to know that the writing had been signed, he went to his house (in his upper room he had windows open toward Jerusalem) and three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God, because he had always done so previously." He had read the prophecy of Jeremiah which prophesied that the children of Israel would serve the king of Babylon for seventy years (9:2b; Jer. 25:11). Standing upon this word, Daniel must have prayed many times for the fulfillment of this prophecy and for the return of the captives. He prayed, and he would not let anything stop or frustrate his prayer. He knew that his prayer was for the carrying out of God's economy concerning His elect. Therefore, his prayer was a serious matter.

Today, prayer is the lifeline in the Lord's recovery. The more Satan tries to frustrate our prayer, the more we should pray.

Three things that stands out in Daniel's prayer are, first, he prayed based on the word of God, second, he prayed towards Jerusalem for the fulfillment of the prophesy of Jeremiah, and third, he prayed earnestly as he used to, he was a man of prayer. 

The knowledge of the word of God is a solid base for our prayer life. Without the word of God, prayer would be habitual, if not religious, and would be full of empty words of human opinions, thoughts and desires. Often, many prayers are self centered, and even at times, against God's will. Nevertheless, with the word of God as the base, our prayer will be solid, full of truth and content, and will also be according to God's desire.

Daniel prayed with his windows opened toward Jerusalem. This to me is very meaningful. Firstly, it is again according to what Solomon prayed in his dedication of the the temple in Jerusalem, which is according to God's heart's desire. In today's understanding, it is to pray for the building up of the church, the house of God. All our prayer much be according to the word of God and for the building of the house of God, the church for the fulfillment of God's economy. Even when we pray for our petty needs pertaining to our family or persoanly matters, all our prayers should be ultimately in line with God's heart's desire. Since we are the church, our needs, aspirations and consideration must be one with God and in the view of the building up of the Body of Christ, the church. This is to pray toward Jersualem.

When Daniel prayed this prayer, he was a captive in Babylon. Irrespective of the outward circumstances, Daniel steadfastly prayed. His prayer was not based on convenience but he prayed because we was man of prayer. "Three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God, because he had always done so previously," this proves that Daniel was a man of prayer. Whether there be any specific need or not, he prayed daily, and daily he prayed according to the word of God.

Lord, make me such a man of prayer, praying according to the word of God for the fulfillment of Your will.

Relocation

Moab has been at ease from his youth; And he is settled on his lees and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel; Nor has he gone into exile. Therefore his taste remains in him, And his scent is not changed. Jeremiah 48:11

Few weeks ago, my house owner invited me to his house. A brother and I went to visit him and the fellowship was a possible relocation as he wanted his son to take up a business in the premise we are running our office operation. Later, this point of relocation was my main prayer burden.

This fellowship opened the door for a future and broader view in my service, officially and the church as well. With much prayer and consideration, I started looking out for new premises. Though considerable options are available all of them will still be on rent, and are mere temporary arrangement. This consideration further leads to a consideration for our own premise. 

This incident is a new beginning for us after seven years of being in the same premise. The decision affects our office as well as my family residence. For at least a week I was silent not knowing how to respond to our house owner. But as he kept reminding us of our decision, I finally wrote a mail of relocation while thanking him for caring for us the past seven years.

This further leads to a fellowship of using the premise of our own which is now being used for training purpose. Though no concrete matter has developed yet, we are heading to a good note on this line. May the Lord in His time lead us further on for His move. Through all the considerations so far, there seems to be a possibility of building our own office space on an unused space of the said premise.

Most importantly, there is a need to be fresh and new. When we settled in one place and are at ease, there are possibility of losing our taste, and remaining the same and pale all the while. Often there is a need to be emptied from vessel to vessel. Perhaps, this is the time to be emptied from vessel to vessel.

At His own good time, the Lord does what he needs to do, faithfully. This fellowship of relocation is another move the Lord is going to do in us. I reckon it as from the Lord, and amen the decision of our house owner.

Take Action

There are times when one has to take definite action; mere talk is useless in many cases. For long I have been very gracious in taking care my two Onesimus'. Sometimes, handling certain brothers are not easy as they tend to take things for granted under the umbrella of "brotherhood." This is what bothers me most while caring for some brothers. I do regard their respect and honor, but at certain point I had to fire a salvo at them to teach them some spiritual lesson of life.

One of the brothers who has been staying with our family had created some nuisances because of the personal crisis he had been through recently. With insomnia and hyper-character, I discerned it best for him and our family to let him have his own accommodation elsewhere. Though I had fellowshipped with him about this decision, he seemed to overlooked the matter as being a brother. But things did not seem to improve, and was heading toward unwanted intrusion into the members of the family's life. That's when I took action and called it quit for him. Though painful as a brother, but for his own good and the good of the family, I needed to take action. And I did this after fellowshipping with another brother in the church and with all my family members. Time for action indeed.

Finally, after this action he struggled for few days and called me thrice requesting for a revocation of my decision of letting him go. But I felt it best for him to stay alone and aloof for sometime. But I welcomed him to join us for morning revival every morning and to be regular in his service. A week later, he could accept the decision and now he is back to his normal life.

Similar incident happened with another brother, and I did the same thing, calling it quit for him as a disciplinary action to his misconduct. After few days, he requested for fellowship when he openly confessed his misdeeds and begged for one more opportunity to continue in his service. With prayer I encouraged him to trust the Lord and enjoy His grace to overcome anything that frustrates his enjoyment of the Lord. Now, he is back again to his normal service.

There are times when definite disciplinary actions have to be taken. Such action is purely out of love and concern for the good the person concerned. I do believe such actions are needed according to the nature and condition of the people I am dealing with. Besides, this is also how the Lord trains me to be responsible for my service, in caring for the saints and also in discharging my official duties.

Take action when needed, even disciplinary action, in love.

Eagle's Wings

Yet those who wait on Jehovah will renew their strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles; They will run and will not faint; They will walk and will not become weary. Isaiah 40:31  

As we attended the video training as the church in New Delhi and Gurgaon combined, the Lord took us to a new height where the atmosphere of the training was much uplifted, and the dispensing of the ministry much stronger. The testing portion for the church in Gurgaon happened to be on message four, "The Coordination of the Four Living Creatures." The Lord's speaking was so rich, and our coordination in the testing was so strong, above all, the message was very supplying. The past weekend was full of the riches of the dispensing of Christ, and our blending with one another as the church in Delhi and Gurgaon was becoming much sweeter. Besides, it was a good time for the children to enjoy the children's service. All these were the result of coordination. We practically experienced the eagles' wings in our coordination.   

The coordination of the four living creatures is not in themselves but in God and by the divine power, the divine strength, and the divine grace, because the eagle’s wings are the means by which they are coordinated and move as one—vv. 9, 11; Exo. 19:4; Isa. 40:31; 2 Cor. 12:9; 1 Cor. 15:10: (Excerpt from CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OUTLINES, Ezekiel (1), Message 4).

Besides "living" as creatures, there must be the "coordination" as well. But this coordination is not by our ability to coordinate by good human virtues of adjusting and tolerating one another. Rather it is by God's divine power, strength, and grace as signified by the "eagles' wings." 

Eagle's wings are about 6-7 foot wide, and it has the capacity to detect warm air soaring up to the sky. The eagle simply spread out its wings and soar along with the rising air. It rarely flaps their wings to fly but soars mostly tapping the current of wind as its source of energy. This implies the tapping of God's divine power for the coordination.

These days I too experience the eagle's wings in my coordination with my wife for family matters and also with my coordinators in the literature and church service. With the Lord's divine life supply, our coordination was effortless, it just happens spontaneously and on top it, very sweet. On the human side, we learn to coordinate, yet it is really the divine power that enables us to coordinate. This truth has been made clear through the ministry of the word and proven by experiences to be true. This is how the Lord blends us together by His divine power and strength. 

Praise the Lord for the eagles' wings!        

Jabez's Prayer

1 Chron. 4:10 - And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, Oh that You would richly bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand would be with me, and that You would so keep me from evil that it would not grieve me! And God caused what he had requested to come to pass. 

Note on "Enlarge" from the Recovery Version of the Holy Bible. The enlarging of the border of the good land in the prayer of Jabez signifies the enlarging of the border of the gaining of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ (cf. Phil. 3:8-14), who is the reality of the good land (see note 71 in Deut. 8). We all should have such a prayer, a prayer that God would enlarge the border of our enjoyment of Christ (cf. Eph. 3:14-19). 

This is the expressed word of the Lord for me specifically these days. What I need at the moment is that the Lord would bless me richly. I have, time and again, come to conclusion that without the Lord's blessing, all that I am and have and can do are all vanity of vanity. 

With new changes coming up in my housing and official matters, I need the Lord to be the blessing. As I and my wife consider to shift our house as the office may shift too, we have many considerations. I practically have started looking out for new venue. Still there is no definite decision as to where to move, what kind of building etc. What is becoming clear so far is that we might have to relocate. When, where and how, are still questions to be answered. In the midst of all these, I can only pray and fellowship with my fellow members. And that is exactly what I have been doing. 

Enlarge my border, Lord! Spiritually, in the experiences of Christ I need to be enlarged, and physically too, I need my borders to be enlarged. It's about a decade now that I am in this city, Gurgaon. And I don't know how long I will continue to be here. If the Lord wills that my family continues to be in this city, I pray that my border be enlarged, in the sense of having our own premise and housing. Indeed, a practical enlargement is to have our own premises for office and private residence. Yet not my will but God's will be done. And this is my prayer these as the need is increasing by the year, as much as the rent in the city is increasing.

My main concern is for the operation of the literature service. All these years we have been in a rented premise. As long as the Lord wishes us to be this way, I simply say amen. From the point of view of being a serving one and considering for the long run, I personally feel it is time to have our own land and building, if only the Lord so wills. Besides, if the Lord would continue to keep me in the literature service and serve in this city Gurgaon, its better to consider having our own housing sooner than later. The only source of provision is the Lord's supply. This is what I have also fellowshipped with my wife. Nevertheless, not my will but the Lord's will be done, even in this regard.

Jabez's prayer has become my prayer: Lord, enlarge my border, richly bless me, may Your hand be upon me and keep me from evil!     

Thirtieth Year

Ezek. 1:1 - Now in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth of the month, while I was among the captives by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 

Thirtieth, note on the Holy Bible, Recovery VersionReferring to Ezekiel’s age. At the age of thirty a priest, a Levite, was qualified to begin his service to the Lord (Num. 4:2-3; 1 Chron. 23:3; cf. Luke 3:23). This age signifies maturity, indicating that in spiritual things, especially in seeing the visions recorded in this book, there is the need of maturity in the divine life (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14-15; 3:1-2). 

Thirtieth year is the year of qualification to serve the Lord. This implies the need for growth in life and maturity to be able to serve the Lord. It is at this year that Ezekiel, the priest, began to serve. Meaning, without growing and maturing in the divine life, one cannot serve God, much less, see the vision of God under an opened heavens with a clear sky. 

This reminds me of my need for growth in life to see the heavens opened, see the visions of God, hear the expressed word of God, and experience the hand of God. The same applies to all believers alike. For God to do anything significant He needs man on earth; not mere man but man who are thirty years in age at least. Lest He be made to wait until He finds one of thirty years and above. 

I have been in fellowship with a brother concerning his family situation for quite some time now. Every time, I used the word of God to nourish him and shepherd him over phone call prayer and fellowship. This time round, I fellowshipped with him about his need to grow up in life even in the midst of all critical circumstances he has been going through. The enemy hates the growth in life of the saints, and he always tries his best to hinder the growth in life by various tactics and attacks. Often, many are caught unaware, including me, sometimes. 

This "thirty years" is a timely reminder to me and my fellow saints, our need to grow in life and be a priest serving God. Even today, I ministered the same point of truth to few young saints who visited us and also to the serving ones in the literature service in our morning fellowship.

Lord, cause the growth in me and my fellows saints! Yes, growing to thirty years and above...

Money Matters

There is a balancing line I am trying hook onto as far as handling money is concerned. Money is practically vital that it has even become the main cause of concern in every one's life. Its effect is felt in all sphere of life, be it spiritual, social or even personal. The hard lesson is not about management of money as far as I am concerned, but about "to lend or not to lend" when fellow brothers and sisters are in genuine need. I have been facing this dilemma time and again. 

When the saints need help financially and come for fellowship, should I spiritualise the matter and just ask them to trust the Lord exercising their faith? Should I simply turn them away? If I have money at hand I always would prefer to help and reckon it as a blessing. But the case as always has been is, there has hardly been any repayment, though some slow, not that it will never be repaid back. As a brother, I always love to help as long as it is within my capacity to help. And I count it all joy and blessing to be able to help. 

Recently, the Lord led me to experience the side of the lender where I have to manage at the minimal possible because almost all I have at hand have been loaned to others in need. To the extend that I myself become the one in need, save for the fact that I would not borrow from others. On considering to ask back from those to whom I have lent, I had my reservation and would prefer that they pay back on their own. When they don't payback, I am left as the victim of loaned out lender. 

Well, I don't mind being such, as this gives me the first hand experience of what is to be in lack. And how one manages one's livelihood in want; the feeling within and the faith emanating thereof to trust the Lord is worth the experience. So I got to experience being in abundance and being in lack as well. 

One thing for sure is the Lord's faithfulness in all these experiences. I am learning lessons on how to abound and how to be abased. Despite the lack, all that are necessary and needed for the family have all been well taken care. 

Though money plays a vital role in every sphere of livelihood, one must not love it, nor be lorded over by it. Money should never be one's master but always be the slave. Use money for rightful purposes and be not enslaved by it. Trust the Lord who provides and honors Him with it and lords over it.

This is my simple money matter that I have been experiencing these days.