At the Family Church here in Gainesville, senior pastor Philip Griffin continued his study of the Old Testament book of Daniel, skipping Chapter 8 to go to the next one, which you can read via Bible Gateway by clicking on the following link: [Daniel 9]. The series title is Counter-Culture; this particular message, Prayer That Changes Things, examines a type of prayer that Daniel uses in Chapter 9 that isn't commonly used in our culture of today but should be...
In the opening verses of Chapter 9, Daniel, one of the most blameless and faithful people ever to appear in the Bible, uses these lines in his prayer to God: "...we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land." Daniel could have made an exception to himself in this prayer, but he included himself by using "we". In our times, we have a tendency to personally exempt ourselves from the social problems and prejudices surrounding us and instead place the blame squarely on others...following Daniel's example demonstrates a kind of humility and personal commitment to actually addressing these issues. Pastor Philip pointed to God's promise in fervent, humble prayer, referring to Jeremiah 29:10-14 as God reveals that he will "prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." So how do we pray for our own culture?
Pastor Philip laid out four important aspects to prayer for the society that we live in: refuse to blame others (remember, Daniel included himself), get honest about the present and past sins of the community, genuinely grieve and mourn the sins, and refuse to blame God, who is righteous in everything. We sometimes like to think that in our society whenever progress has been made in the area of civil rights and racial relations and reconciliation we can then just "move on" and forget about the past. But that past continues to haunt us and needs to be properly and respectfully addressed. This requires courage and humility...but God is always there to provide whatever we need...let us use Daniel's prayer as an inspiring example...
The Family Church, at 2022 SW 122nd Street, holds its Sunday morning services at 9 and 10:30. There is the weekly sermon, along with praise and worship music, prayer, fellowship, and opportunities for discipleship and leadership training. The hospitality room gives visitors a chance to get some coffee and refreshments while getting to meet some of the very friendly folks here. This coming Sunday should be the final installment in the series on Daniel. If you'd like to watch Pastor Philip's 5/27 sermon, just click on the following link to the church's YouTube video website: [TFC Videos]...
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