Precious

​Daniel and Joseph are two of my greatest Biblical heroes.  I admire their impeccable character, inspiring faith, strong understanding of God’s sovereignty and consistent obedience to God’s will.  Both of them excelled as leaders.   Daniel was so highly esteemed by God that when he asked Him questions the Lord dispatched Gabriel, one of the most powerful angelic beings, to answer his concerns.   Imagine praying and then having an angel walk in your room with God’s response!

Meditation
Daniel 9:23—The moment you began praying, a command was given.  And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God.  Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision. (NLT)
 
To be precious in God’s eyes, I believe God must be precious in our eyes.   Three times in the New Living Translation, an angel informed Daniel that he was “very precious to God.” (see also 10:11,18)  What made this man from Judah so special?  I believe it was because Daniel lived so as to bring glory to God.  He was far more concerned with God’s reputation than his own condition.   In Daniel chapter six, after King Darius issued a horrible worship decree, we see that it was essential for Daniel to maintain the practice of praying before an open window.  For him to change his habit and pray in private would have made God subservient to King Darius in the eyes of the Medes and Persians!  If he rationalized that he was important to the King as his number one administrator and postponed praying for thirty days, in essence, he would set himself above God.  Daniel reckoned it was better to be man meat for hungry lions than dishonor his Maker.  This humble man kept God as precious.   

Any person who makes God valuable in every aspect of living gains heaven’s attention.  When my dad fell and broke his neck, his heart expanded.  The mobility he lost in his neck was more than replaced by the renewal of his commitment to live for Christ, Who miraculously spared his life.  Today as he walks the mountain and prays, he has heaven’s attention.  My friend Georgia struggles with enduring, debilitating arthritic pain.  Her body curls like a fall leaf.  But I know she holds God as beloved.  She loves Him for Who He is, not for how she is.  To know Georgia is to see Jesus.  She has heaven’s attention.   
​
Friend, whatever your circumstance come hades or elevated H2O, do you hold your heavenly Father as precious?  If there is no time in your life for prayer, isn’t it ludicrous to wonder why God seems distant?  If He is not your best Friend, than what is He?  Anything precious holds value, demands time and carves heart space. God is so far above anything! Make God precious and you will know just how much He loves you!  Take the attitude of Paul who wrote, “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). 
 
Inspiration
When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you get into the light.—Oswald Chambers in Run Today’s Race
 
©2006 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)