Today my reading from "Fast like Daniel" was about the need for humility before God and how fasting is a means to that humility.
Today we read: Daniel, Chapter 5
Which speaks of King Belshazzar who disrespected God while at a great feast, when he drank wine from "vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem".
And it is written that...
"4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone."
At which point the King becomes shakey, scared and sick. He calls for help and advisors to explain his sudden illness, and among those called is Daniel.
Daniel rightly explains that this affliction is a result of the King's pride, seen in his using God's "vessles of gold and silver" without paying respect and honor to God, and apparently while praising his false gods.
Daniel says:
"23 ...you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored."
My Thoughts: Applying the text
My first thought is that it seems that we are supposed to acknowledge that all food and drinks, treasures and friendship are gifts from God. And therefore its inappropriate to celebrate and enjoy these pleasures without humble gratitude toward the Lord.
It is right to praise, pray and give glory to God for these gifts and definitely to remain humble, never taking from God His due, namely honor, glory and our gratitude for all good gifts.
And the devo went on to suggest that one way to reach a humble state which enables such rightful a gratitude is through fasting and prayer.
"In the world, if you want power, you must earn it or take it. That doesn’t work in God’s Kingdom. The way to get supernatural power from God is to ask Him for it. And how have God’s people asked throughout history? Fasting and prayer."
Makes sense, when you have nothing in your tummy you come close to God to be sustained, but when you are full and satisfied its easy to forget about prayer and our need for God.
This must be why Jesus himself made fasting and prayer such important parts of his life:
That is all for today. Hope you enjoyed this. I had more difficulty with this one... Let's see what tomorrow brings.