Are You Surprised?

Life is crazy. There is no denying that. If you have children, or a pet, I’m sure you understand where I’m going before I even start. It’s the little things in life that seem to make mountain out of mole hills. Your kid throws up in your van and gets it everywhere. You get sick right before a big road trip you’ve been planning for months, but you still must get ready to leave. You don’t rest well and wake up tired, but your kids have needs. They expect you to be the parent and fulfill their needs. After all, isn’t that your responsibility? So, one cannot blame them for this outlook. Parenting continues. What happens, though, when you cannot seem to function any longer due to pure exhaustion? I think the answer lies in the question, “From where we draw our strength”.

Currently I am working through the Beth Moore Bible study about Daniel. This week’s study dealt with Daniel’s prayer life. He prayed three times a day. While he prayed he recounted times when God had answered previous prayers for Israel. He recited Scripture into his prayers. His belief in God’s promise to keep His word allowed Daniel to pray with expectation. Daily he continued to commune with God in such a way that he heard from God through the Word.

He not only heard from God through the Bible. Daniel had dreams of his own and interpreted the dreams of kings through the wisdom of God. God even sent an angel, Gabriel, to interpret his dream. It is amazing to think how God worked through Daniel with these interpretations. He had a purpose. Daniel had a plan for his life. This was not an ordinary plan, but God used Daniel to reach others and to glorify His name. If you will recall, Daniel was an exile in Babylon. He was taken from his family and home and forced to live in a foreign country. He lived this way for the rest of his life. When it was possible for the people of Israel to return to their homeland, Daniel was much too old to make the trip.

In some way, though, I’m still surprised by God’s swiftness in addressing the interpretation of Daniel’s dream. Yet, Daniel was there waiting on it in prayer. He was praying three times a day. He prayed and fasted at the appropriate times according to Jewish customs. He had a true and genuine relationship with God; one of inquiry, one of curiosity and one of praise and adoration of God. He didn’t get his strength from those around him or from the wealth of the Babylonian empire. Daniel daily gained his strength from the only source available — God and God alone. I prayed today that my prayer life would be more like Daniel. That I would pray more often with the expectation that God would hear me and not put me on hold if someone else prayed another prayer alongside mine. I expect to be surprised more often by His presence and response to me. Not surprised that He would answer me, but pleasantly surprised and happy for His desire to be with me.

Image courtesy of Darren Robertson at freedigitalphotos.net

Follow me on Twitter or Facebook.

Looking for a small group Bible study? Being Transparent: With Yourself, God, and Others and the Leader’s Discussion Guide is available!

Please follow and like us: