We will start Daniel's prayer starting today. It is a 21 day journey which goes through the passion week where Jesus carried the cross, and finishes with Easter. Daniel 10:2-3 says that Daniel set his mind to a purpose and focused on prayer for 21 days, restricting himself from fine food, meat and wine. We will be limiting ourselves from some food and personal desire for spiritual purposes. During this time, we fast on media (TV, computer games, unnecessary internet) and allocate the time for prayer and meditation on the Scriptures.
The ultimate goal of abstinence is not to inflict stress physically but to get fulfilled spiritually. It is like emptying out space before filling in. I pray that we can cleanse our heart and fill it with spiritual grace and blessings. Most of all, I want you to know that God is our purpose. I pray that during the prayer, we get to know God’s heart and get one step closer to Him.
Especially this Daniel prayer will be accompanied with the gratitude exercise. It is the extension of the Thank you March we started last year. I hope that with a thankful heart, we can discover the blessings that God has already given to us and enjoy it. Oftentimes we are not even aware that we are blessed with many things and that the blessing is from God. I hope our gratitude to God will brighten our heart so we can see His blessings. It would be great if you start a thanks journal (where you record things that you are grateful for), and have sharings with family and friends. I pray that these 21 days will be filled with gratitude.
Our church’s prayer request as a whole is the overflowing presence of the Holy Spirit appearing to the TOL congregation. As a matter of fact, our church has been focused on praying for it this entire year. For this, we are also planning a retreat during the Memorial day weekend and coordinating with guest speakers. The entire church will assemble around the TOL congregation in this retreat. I pray that the entire church will raise up the TOL congregation and experience the Holy Spirit’s presence. During the retreat, we should not only specifically pray for the TOL congregation, but also yearn for ourselves to be able to find joy in the work of the Holy Spirit. With such longing heart, please continue to make your plea to God in your prayer while fasting our body and heart for the 21 days of journey.
Following the shepherd…
Pastor Jiwon Choi