SCRIPTURE: All this disaster has come on 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 on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him. Daniel 9:13-14
THOUGHT: Confession is rarely popular. We might go through the motions, sometimes forced by parents, or church, or after being busted when the truth comes out, but it’s always easier to find an excuse than really own the damage we’ve done.
Daniel sets a great example of not buying the lie. He owns that his nation has not sought the favor of the Lord God by turning from sin and giving attention to truth. His entire prayer for God’s grace and movement is confession. Confession of God’s rightness and greatness; confession of a nation’s sin and lack of repentance. Trying to maintain his own innocence or pride before a holy God is abhorrent to Daniel, so he confesses his own part in the problem, but also asks forgiveness on behalf of all the people of God around him, living in this self-induced disaster.
While the devotion today is about confession (our part), the promise of God here is righteousness. Daniel understands that God is righteous in everything he does and that bringing disaster is one tool in the toolkit he will use to try to get stubborn hearts to turn around.
PRAYER: We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name (Daniel 9:18-19 NIV).
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
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