Day 1 of 21: A Man of Desires

^{A Man of Desires}

¹⁰ Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. ¹¹ He said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. ¹² Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. ¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.”

(Daniel 10:10-14)

 Daniel, in today's standards, was a young man when he was taken into captivity, perhaps about 14-15 years old, some argue as young as 12. Daniel was called, more than once in the Scriptures, a man of high esteem. In the Hebrew, it is translated A man of desires. In short, Daniel was the object of God's delight. As the apocalyptic prophet of the New Testament was the disciple whom Jesus loved, so the apocalyptic prophet of the Old Testament was greatly beloved of God. That is, he was one whose happiness was greatly desired by God. He was a man after God's own heart and in turn, God listened to him, spoke to him, and revealed untold secrets to him. Daniel was a man of prayer. A man willing to give up of himself for the sake of others. Willing to go beyond himself in order to meet God in the secret place. Daniel fasted for 21 days, in anticipation that he would hear from God. The scripture says that he mourned for three weeks (Daniel 10:2). And in the midst of this 21 day battle, Christ appeared to Daniel and spoke to Him. Comforted him with these words:

 O Daniel, man of high esteem....from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come in response to your words.

This 14 year old boy was found to be a mighty man of God. One who had captured the affection of God. One who had set his heart on understanding the very words of God. One who humbled himself before God for 21 days in order that he might hear from the True and Living God. And God, being One who is not slow to hear us, encouraged Daniel with these very words, You were heard and I am here in response to your words. This is an instance in scripture where we see the very heart of God exposed. The very character of God revealed. An instance where God intimately fellowships with His creation. This being a 14 year old boy, simply because He had put God first. His chief desire was to serve and honor God. He trusted Him, even unto the point of death; and this trust manifested itself throughout the book of Daniel, where you see this young boy seeking hard after God, placing his affection in Him, and serving him boldly regardless of the turmoil that was going on around him. Daniel was a man of prayer, a man who was willing to sit silently to hear the whispers of God. A man whose heart was set on knowing God at any cost.

My heart desires to hear from God. And yet, I see the life of Daniel and grow greatly dismayed at my own life. It is no wonder that I do not hear from God like this young boy did. He was a man after God's own heart. He trusted Him with his very life and had a faith that was unmovable. It is very evident from the Scriptures that Daniel desired God, to serve Him and to glorify Him, above all else. And therefore, Daniel was a man acquainted with sorrows. Acquainted with anguish. Acquainted with sacrifice. These very words strangely mirror the very life of Christ. And so, this thought brings me to the end of myself. Where am I willing to go from here? How long am I willing to wait in order that I might hear the voice of the True and Living God? And in this waiting, am I willing to become acquainted with  sorrow, anguish, and sacrifice, that I might come to the end of myself in order to know God in a different way? These are very sobering thoughts and heavy questions. And within the next 21 days, together through this blog, you will able see God manifest Himself in my life and watch my reaction to what He is calling me to do. What He is calling me to be. And therefore, what I am willing to do in response to this calling.

.:La Chula:.