Psalms 31:1-3a, 20:1-4, 8:1

My Shepherd called me into His green pastures and laid me down in Daniel 9. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in verses 1-3:

Daniel 9:1 ¶ In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

Daniel 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Daniel 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.

Daniel records the historical setting in which Daniel received the prophecy of the 70 weeks (Daniel 9:1-2, 24-27). Historically, it corresponds to his interpretation of God’s message to the (second) king of Babylon at the handwriting-on-the-wall event (Daniel 5:1–29) and the fall of Babylon that same night (Daniel 5:30-31).

It was a time of transition from the Chaldean to the Persian empire. Cyrus had issued his decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and to build God’s House (2 Chronicles 36:22; Ezra 1:1; 5:13; 6:3; and check Daniel 1:21). This was a pivotal time in prophetic history.

After Darius conquered Babylon and was established as king, Cyrus decreed the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, and Daniel was reading the book of Jeremiah. He saw that God would restore Jerusalem after 70 years of being desolate (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10; see Daniel 9:1). Daniel put on sackcloth and ashes, and set his face to seek the LORD by prayer and fasting (Daniel 9:2). Why would he not rejoice and proclaim this wonderful news to the Jews in Babylon?

When you read his prayer, it will become clear that his fellow Jews had settled into their lives in exile and were not spiritually prepared to receive the restoration promised (Daniel 9:4-19). Daniel saw something that deeply troubled him, and it’s related to the 70 weeks prophecy he had received in the first year of the Medo-Persian Empire. The kingdom would not be restored to Israel. Instead, it would continue in the hands of the Gentiles for centuries, “unto Messiah the prince” (Daniel 9:25). From Daniel 10-11, where the LORD fills in the prophetic history that would intervene between the Persian and Grecian kings, unto “Messiah,” I cannot find any indication that Daniel understood that Israel would reject their Messiah, and crucify Him (Daniel 9:26; see Daniel 10-11). But he did record the interpretation Gabriel gave of what he saw that set him to pray and fast for 21 days: that the restoration offered by Jeremiah would be delayed for a very long time.

Along the still waters, I reflected on this in connection with my own hopes and prayers for revival. Since I first heard a preacher speak to our need for revival, as a young teen, I have begun praying for revival. I was praying and preaching for revival before I had any concrete understanding of what I was praying for and preaching about.

I find myself feeling somewhat like Daniel. I see great and wonderful evidence of revival fires stirring, and yet, I fear the remnant today is going to make the same mistake that was made by the remnant in the days of Jeremiah: they refused to hold the Land (terriroty) of God’s promise, but forsook the promise of God and went to Egypt in direct disobedience to the prophet’s message (See Jeremiah 43). I fear the remnant is refusing the word of GOD through Jeremiah today: “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein” (Jeremiah 6:16).

I’m calling on our church, and any others who are moved by His Spirit to join us, to enter into a 21-day fast to break the power of delusion coming over the remnant that undermines the revival God has put before us.

In the valley, my Shepherd attended my troubled spirit. He encouraged me to believe the revival I have prayed for is being offered. He also prepared me for the possibility that the remnant today will refuse it and say, “We will not walk therein.” I am praying that God’s call to the “old paths” will be heard by every believer numbered in the remnant. I am praying that the spirit of delusion blinding so many will be broken and driven back (Matthew 17:21). I am praying with our Advocate that the faithful will not lose their faith, but will rally to His call. Jesus clarified what it means to step into the “old paths”: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

I hope you will join me in this prayer!

At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy followed me into His harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v774mbu-shepherds-pasture.html

[*Here is a summary of some interesting organizational features of Daniel: The book is introduced in Hebrew (Daniel 1:1-4a). But Daniel 2:4b-7:28 is presented in Aramaic, and 8:1-12:13 are in Hebrew. Chapters 1-6 are historical, and chapters 7-12 are prophetic. However, in the historical section, we find the amazing prophecies of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams (Daniel 2 and 4), the famous handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5), and the prophecy of the four. beasts (Daniel 7). Also, in the prophetic section (Daniel 8-12), we find many historical insights from the mention of events surrounding the prophecies Daniel receives. Also, we notice that the prophecies in the first section are given to the Gentile rulers and interpreted by Daniel, except for Daniel 7, the prophecy of the four beasts. This is the first prophecy recorded that God communicated directly to Daniel. Looking at it that way, we have the prophecies that God communicated to Gentile rulers who relied on Daniel to interpret them (Daniel 1:4b-6). And the prophecies God communicated directly to Daniel (7-12). Furthermore, Daniel’s prophecies are presented in two sections: 7-9 and 10-12. But that’s enough for now. (Plan to enroll in my online class on Daniel, scheduled to launch in the summer of 2026.)]

[**At this time, the kingdom was referred to as the Medes (under King Darius) and the Persians (under Cyrus). Three years later (Daniel 10:1), the combined kingdom was no longer called the Medes and the Persians, but only Persia. The first year of Darius the Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans (Daniel 9:1), ruled in Babylon, while Cyrus, king of Persia, ruled in Elam (present-day Iran, or Persia). Daniel 9:1 is the first year of Cyrus (the Persian) and the first year of Darius (the Mede)]

[***I became pastor of my home church at 20 years of age, and one of my first messages was on the need for revival. I preached hard on the subject, and one of our sweet ladies raised her hand. I called on her, and she asked, “But what is revival?” I realized I could not answer the question, and set myself to understand what revival is. My undergraduate thesis explored the question thoroughly. I had to secure special permission to use my thesis to explore a question rather than to defend a thesis. My professor was gracious and made the allowance, partly because I had submitted another completed thesis, and understood why I wanted to explore the question as a precursor to establishing a thesis on the subject. With his blessing, I wrote an extensive study exploring the question, What Is Revival?]