Living with Our Backs Against the Wall

Daniel

Jim Davis

Seemingly, the easiest time for most to pray is when their backs are against the wall. It is not surprising that these prayers are the most effective prayers. Good listening makes for effective prayers. We are never more willing to listen than when we have no one but God to turn to for help. When our circumstances drive us to our knees, it is not hard to look up. We develop a keen awareness of God when we discover our helplessness. The trials of life point us to our creator; this is why you don’t find atheists in foxholes.

We turn to God in difficult times, not because we are righteous, but because we know the faithfulness of his steadfast love. Daniel prayed such a prayer.

Daniel 9:17-19
"Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O 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. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."(NIV)

It is comforting to know God doesn’t hear our prayers because we are righteous, but because of his righteousness and faithfulness toward us. Daniel was at least 65 years old when he prayed this prayer. He had been taken from his homeland when he was just a boy 12-15 years old. He had spent his life with his back against the wall.

Sin has a way of putting our backs against the wall. It was because of Daniel’s sins and Israel’s sins that Daniel lived with nowhere to look but up.

Daniel 9:13-16
Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon 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 upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him. "Now, O 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. O 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 fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. (NIV)

Daniel admits his disaster is the result of Israel’s disobedience. Daniel includes himself in the sins of his nation. Daniel prayed unto the Lord and made his confession "we have not sought the favor of the Lord", "we have sinned" and "our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem an object of scorn." For too many years of my life I believed the reason God heard Daniel’s prayers was because he was a very righteous person. Daniel prays not because of his righteousness, but because of God’s faithfulness. According to Paul it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us.

Putting Things In Perspective

As we read the book of Daniel, it is easy to understand God’s presence with Daniel in difficult times. What we often overlook is the fact that Daniel’s life was lived in difficult times because of his sins and the sins of his fathers. However, God’s presence is realized throughout Daniel’s life. God had scattered Daniel and his people throughout foreign countries because of their unfaithfulness. When Daniel prayed he said, "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame-- the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you."

In Daniel’s confession, he confessed "We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land . . . All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you." (Daniel 9:6, 11 NIV)

There is a great disparity in Daniel’s life. Daniel was a member of the tribe of Levi. When he was brought to Babylon, he was extremely concerned about not violating the dietary laws of God, but he was being judged for his participation in violating the Law of Moses and the prophets. As a young man he was probably following in the footsteps of the priest while unaware of their sins and his sin against God. Sixty-five years later he has no problem understanding the prophets and their warnings.

Daniel 9:1-3
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom--in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. (NIV)

The judgment of God brought Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon as a captive. His fathers served as priest at the temple, but they had failed to heed the warnings of the prophets and the Law of Moses. According to Daniel’s confession he is not brought to Babylon as an innocent bystander but as an active participant in Israel's sin. He is part of the problem.

The perspective on life at age 65, as one looks at the past, is much different than one's perspective at 15. It seems that Daniel finally  sees himself as a part of Israel's problem when he was about 65. This was probably right after he had been thrown into the Lion's Den.

I had a lady to express doubt about to her salvation. The lady is probably 65 years old. She said, "As I look back at my life, I am not certain I repented of some of my sins in my past." In her spiritual growth she was looking back and recognizing sin in her past she had never seen before. She became uneasy about her salvation, as she wondered if she was really saved in the first place. I assured her that this was normal because we see things about ourselves at 65 or 53 that we have never seen. This is called growth. It is alarming, as we all know, but God had protected Daniel through the Lion's Den before Daniel fully recognized himself as a part of Israel's problem.

God is faithful in our growth process. He had known about Daniel's sin from the very first, but God remained faithful in salvaging Daniel's life, so it is with us. When we become enlightened about our sin, all we have to do is repent of the specific sin or sins. Our lives were set on a never ending road of repentance when we were initially saved. Just recognize the sin and commit it to God's trust as you would any other sin. It is not an indication that we were never saved.

God's discipline is a purging process to enlighten us to what is wrong. When God forces us to pass through the crucible of discipline for our own wrongdoing he will not forsake us. This is the most encouraging hope for all of us. God remained faithful to Daniel throughout his life, although he had been judged and was being punished for his sin.

Daniel's Prayers were Prayers for Survival

Often, the truly great people of God seemed to have lived a great portion of their lives with their backs against the wall before they got a clear revelation of God. Daniel was no exception. Living with his back to the wall made Daniel a man of prayer. He prayed three times a day, every day. For this he was thrown into the Lion’s den.

Daniel was forced to rely totally upon God for his survival. Daniel lived under the reign of four of the most ruthless rulers the ancient world had ever known. When Daniel interpreted the dreams and visions of these kings he was forced to tell them of their demise.

Finding Daniel praying three times a day is not coincidental. It is a matter of life and death. The first time we see Daniel driven to his knees in prayer was following Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The king declared his intent to kill all the wise men because they could not tell him his dream and reveal the meaning. When Daniel heard about the king’s proclamation he went home and prayed.

Daniel 2:17-19
Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven . . . (NIV)

It is amazing to behold God working in the lives of kings and peasants alike to reveal his will. God is punishing the Israelites by allowing them to go into Babylonian captivity. Daniel's presence in Nebuchadnezzar's palace is also God's way of revealing the true God of heaven to the king. God is speaking to Nebuchadnezzar through a dream and to Daniel through prayer. Before the story is finished Nebuchadnezzar will be on his knees extolling the glory of God. (Daniel 4:34-37)

It is not easy living in an ungodly world. Too often, we are so caught up in living that we are blinded to the fact that we are a part of the problem. We fail to realize that even though we are a part of the problem, God can use us in his service. Often we are so tied up in being religious, that we become ungodly. Sometimes we may be like Daniel in his youth. We become so caught up in following the religious practices of those around us that we are blinded to our personal sins. Usually there is a refusal to see this until our backs are against the wall in desperation.

Our Backs Really are Against the Wall

Solomon saw his inability to function without God.

I King 3:7-10
"Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. (NIV)

Today our battles are just as real and just as deadly as was Daniel’s. We may not be facing the most ruthless rulers the world has ever known, but without God our backs really are against the wall.

Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (NIV)

2 Corinthian 10:3-5
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)

Our strength is often found in our weaknesses, just as it was in Daniel’s life. It is our weaknesses, which allow us to discover the power of God. Daniel's need of God's wisdom to interpret dreams made him strong.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (NIV)

God desires to step into our lives in a powerful way. When Daniel prayed for the wisdom and insight to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream he allowed God to step into his life in a powerful way. In all or our discipline and trials, God’s faithfulness will always lead us to a place where we have nowhere to look but up. It is at that precise moment that we are enabled to allow God to enter our lives to work his will in a very personal way.

Daniel 2:19b-23
Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king." (NIV)

God wishes to save the sinner as well as the saint. We may think powerful answers to prayer are reserved only for those like Daniel, but it is not true.

Isaiah 55:6-9
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (NIV)

Luke 15:20-23
So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. (NIV)

When the consequences of our sin have our backs against the wall, God desires to give us the wisdom we need.

Job 28:12-13
"But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. (NIV)

Job 28:23-24
God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. (NIV)

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (NIV)

The story of Daniel teaches us that we must trust in God. In the crucible of God’s judgment, Daniel was driven to his knees in prayer, as his back was pressed solid against the wall. When Daniel stood before the greatest world ruler of his day he chose to put his trust in God. This decision served him well as a succession of world leaders came to the throne during his lifetime.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (NIV)

Jeremiah 1:6-8
"Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. (NIV)

Conclusion:

Our salvation depends upon God’s faithfulness to us even when we fail in our faithfulness. God will not let us down, he will not let us go and he surely will not let us off. He will allow difficulties to come into our lives to press our backs against the wall so that we might look to him for help.

God is our only hope and we must remember that he made provision for our sins while we were sinners. How much more is he willing to do for us today?