DANIEL'S GRIP UPON GOD
Daniel 6:10
The historic facts that cluster about this text disclose the fact that Daniel had a grip upon God. He was a fearless man, a man without fear. He had no man-fearing and no man-pleasing spirit. He dared to do the right; he dared to follow God he dared to walk in all the light the Holy Ghost shed upon his pathway. He was a courageous man, He was a man who stood flat-footedly upon the immutable Word of God, and the gates of Hell could not prevail against him. The clouds were dark; the lightnings were flashing from one dark mountain range of cloud to another; the peals of thunder from Hell's artillery seemingly were jarring the very foundation stones of Mother Earth. It was dark, awful dark -- so black that one without a grip upon God could not see which way to go. The winds were blowing at a terrific gale; the waves were leaping skyward, but Daniel had his compass and square, he knew his longitude and latitude. He understood how far he had traveled, and the speed he was making; hence, God had the advantage, and Daniel's anchor held fast.
The decree had gone forth that every man must bow the knee to the statue, This was done by the enemies of Daniel to entrap him. They saw in this clean, holy man of God nothing through which offense could be taken, but they must bring charges concerning his religious life. Therefore this hellish decree. But Daniel stood -- stood like a Pike's Peak; stood like the rock of Gibraltar, and you know the waves dashing and lashing the rock of Gibraltar only keep it clean, and through these crucial tests, these long tunnels. these dark tunnels, these deep gorges and sore afflictions, we are made more like God, and grow stronger, and become better qualified to live in the center of His will and do exploits for our Master.
A praying man is forearmed for battle; that is, he is prepared beforehand; that is, he has his artillery shining, his heavy guns manned. He understands what to do, and best how to do it, for a praying man has the ear of God. He has vital connection with the skies. His telephone wires are in good condition. He has splendid connection. Hence., the man who lives upon his face can soon get the mind of God, but be it understood, just because you can't pray through in a minute. or an hour, or a day, or a week, is no argument why you should not continue wrestling in heart agony, for if we continue and faint not, we shall reap, for the bread cast upon the waters will return not many days hence. The trouble with us is we do not pray long enough; we do not live long enough upon our faces. Thirty minutes seems a long time; we get so tired; we yawn, stretch ourselves, and say, "This thirty minutes is the longest I have ever experienced." Why? Because we are not in close touch with the skies: hence, we haven't the liberty in prayer; we haven't the freedom; it is burdensome; we are tired; we can't some way, somehow, get into a spirit of prayer. One should pray, and keep praying, and never stop praying until he really gets into the spirit of prayer. The devil is ever on hand to retard every possible advancement in the prayer life, He is too well aware of the fact that the prayers of the righteous avail much, that God hears the effectual, fervent prayer. He knows that Elijah prayed the fire out of Heaven, and through every agent possible he will break into your prayer life to hinder, to cause you to jump from your knees about the time you are getting audience with God. One should be so concerned that he will not allow anything to take him from the sweet hour of prayer.
Daniel 6:10
The historic facts that cluster about this text disclose the fact that Daniel had a grip upon God. He was a fearless man, a man without fear. He had no man-fearing and no man-pleasing spirit. He dared to do the right; he dared to follow God he dared to walk in all the light the Holy Ghost shed upon his pathway. He was a courageous man, He was a man who stood flat-footedly upon the immutable Word of God, and the gates of Hell could not prevail against him. The clouds were dark; the lightnings were flashing from one dark mountain range of cloud to another; the peals of thunder from Hell's artillery seemingly were jarring the very foundation stones of Mother Earth. It was dark, awful dark -- so black that one without a grip upon God could not see which way to go. The winds were blowing at a terrific gale; the waves were leaping skyward, but Daniel had his compass and square, he knew his longitude and latitude. He understood how far he had traveled, and the speed he was making; hence, God had the advantage, and Daniel's anchor held fast.
The decree had gone forth that every man must bow the knee to the statue, This was done by the enemies of Daniel to entrap him. They saw in this clean, holy man of God nothing through which offense could be taken, but they must bring charges concerning his religious life. Therefore this hellish decree. But Daniel stood -- stood like a Pike's Peak; stood like the rock of Gibraltar, and you know the waves dashing and lashing the rock of Gibraltar only keep it clean, and through these crucial tests, these long tunnels. these dark tunnels, these deep gorges and sore afflictions, we are made more like God, and grow stronger, and become better qualified to live in the center of His will and do exploits for our Master.
A praying man is forearmed for battle; that is, he is prepared beforehand; that is, he has his artillery shining, his heavy guns manned. He understands what to do, and best how to do it, for a praying man has the ear of God. He has vital connection with the skies. His telephone wires are in good condition. He has splendid connection. Hence., the man who lives upon his face can soon get the mind of God, but be it understood, just because you can't pray through in a minute. or an hour, or a day, or a week, is no argument why you should not continue wrestling in heart agony, for if we continue and faint not, we shall reap, for the bread cast upon the waters will return not many days hence. The trouble with us is we do not pray long enough; we do not live long enough upon our faces. Thirty minutes seems a long time; we get so tired; we yawn, stretch ourselves, and say, "This thirty minutes is the longest I have ever experienced." Why? Because we are not in close touch with the skies: hence, we haven't the liberty in prayer; we haven't the freedom; it is burdensome; we are tired; we can't some way, somehow, get into a spirit of prayer. One should pray, and keep praying, and never stop praying until he really gets into the spirit of prayer. The devil is ever on hand to retard every possible advancement in the prayer life, He is too well aware of the fact that the prayers of the righteous avail much, that God hears the effectual, fervent prayer. He knows that Elijah prayed the fire out of Heaven, and through every agent possible he will break into your prayer life to hinder, to cause you to jump from your knees about the time you are getting audience with God. One should be so concerned that he will not allow anything to take him from the sweet hour of prayer.
If you want to live in clouds -- that is, have your experience cloudy -- pray little. If you enjoy living in the dumps, having doubts and fears within, pray little. If you can revel in the dark valley of despondency, pray little. If you want a hard road to travel, a rocky road, filled with disappointments, pray little. If you want defeats and no victories, all downs and no ups, pray little. If you want to live on the shady side of the street, fuming with peevishness and fretfulness, pray little. If you want a long-faced religious experience, to be poutish, cross, pray little. If you want your children to go into the paths of sin, pray little. The great trouble today with Christendom is a lack and failure to pray clear through. Praying is not an easy task; praying is not like sitting down and having a chat with a friend. One must take time to pray, special time to pray and stay upon his knees until he gets victory. Getting down and getting up before victory comes breeds doubts. Let us betake ourselves to a spirit of earnest, protracted seasons of prayer.
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