Daniel 9:15-25 New International Version (NIV)
15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 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.”
The Seventy “Sevens”
20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:
24 “Seventy ‘sevens’[a] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish[b] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.[c]
25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[d] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 New International Version (NIV)
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
LORD Listen, LORD, Forgive, LORD Hear and Act
Have you ever been playing in the dirt as a child and heard your mom say, “Come on in for dinner?” If your home was anything like mine you could not just run in from the streets and sit at the table without making a pit stop in the restroom. There was no leeway in this process. eating with dirty hands and smelly clothes was not an option. In fact, parents would often say I can’t hear you until you get that smell off of you. Lent can be very much like the preparation time before dinner. Although dinner may be ready for us, we are not ready for it until we have gone through some preparations.
Reading the Daniel passage I hear the sense of preparation through confession. The writer speaks of confessing sin (dirt) and cleansing himself and that of his nation by acknowledging the brokenness and sinfulness of their actions. Recognizing that sin may be a barrier between humanity and YHWH the writer asks YHWH to turn away from anger. The writer says, Listen, forgive, and hear and act.
When we stray away from doing what is right we require a course correction. Our falling away can be so gradual that it takes a high level of intentionality to hear from YHWH again. We need to wash up before dinner. When we wash up we are in a better position to be heard and dine at the table of a CREATOR who is able to restore us in times of trouble. with this in mind, we are better able to remain encouraged and faithful even when others only want to hear what their itching ears want to hear.
Prayer: LORD can you hear me now? I am working to clean up but there may still be some dirt behind my ears. There are still some blind spots and I apologize. Please listen and forgive me. Then, LORD, I need you to act on my behalf. Give me the strength to get off my knees and on my feet to do your will. I cant do it without YOU and I won’t even try. Amen.
40 Days of Lenten Meditations 