Prayer Is the Chief Exercise of Faith

Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin,” written by Donald McKim:

Scripture: Daniel 9:1-10

Daniel 9 is a prayer offered by Daniel as he was in exile in Babylon. The opening verses of the chapter set the stage for Daniel's prayer as he recounts the circumstances of God's people. As he reflects on the words of Jeremiah the prophet, he is painfully aware of the trial that his people face and the discipline they are currently experiencing. As a result of the anguish of his soul, he turns to pray and plead with the God of heaven. The example of Daniel should encourage us to do the same. When we are facing difficulties, we should turn to the Lord in prayer. Nothing else will do. We must learn to plead our case before the Lord. Calvin comments, "God does not here promise his children earthly blessings, but eternal life, and while they grow torpid and cast aside all care and spiritual concern, he urges them the more to earnestly to prayer. For what benefit do God's promises confer on us, unless we embrace them by faith? But prayer is the chief exercise of faith...For the true proof of faith is the assurance when we pray that God will really perform what he has promised." (64). Life for Daniel and the church of old was hard and they were under God's discipline. Yet, Daniel reflected on the promise of God to return the people to their land. This reflection turned to prayer and that a demonstration of his great faith in God and his promises.

There is another thing worth noting from this prayer: it begins with adoration as he reflects on the character of God. As a result of his reflection, he is turned to confess sin -- the sin of his people. Often that will happen to us as we pray to the Lord. As we reflect on his revealed character, it should cause us to see how far short we fall from God's demands. It is not unusual for fallen people to land where Daniel lands as they reflect on the holy character of the God of heaven. That is precisely the designed result: to confess our sin and mourn our fallen nature. Daniel does this beginning at 9:5, "we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. The sin he confesses is disobedience. The reason for their disobedience is given in 9:6, "We have not listened to your servant the prophets." Too often, we stray from God's commandments and disobey him because we do not listen. We do not listen to the preached Word each Lord's day. When this happens, we wander like sheep into pastures that will only bring us to ruin. Had the people of old listened to the prophets, they would not be in exile, and the holy city where God made his dwelling would still be standing. Instead, they rebelled against God's commandments and suffered the due consequence of their error. We must avoid the transgression of our fathers. We must learn to hear and obey. The Lord is pleased to speak to his people through the word preached each week. Are you listening? If not, you will walk in disobedience. If so, you will grow to maturity in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.