Daniel Prayer 2024

  For the last few years, our church has set aside the time between ‘Lent and Easter Sunday’ to practice the ‘Daniel prayer (21 days) session’. For the upcoming year of 2024, the ‘Daniel Prayer’ will begin on New Year’s day for 21 days. This is because we are currently at a point where our church needs to focus our attention on prayers; we cannot wait until Lent for this to happen.  

 

  Studying the book of Matthew throughout the last few months of Sunday service, we continuously read about the concept of a ‘‘continued extension of God's reign on earth’. Within us are strong cities and high walls that cut us off from the reign of God. During this Daniel prayer, I hope we will be able to discover this strong inner city within us that separates us from God’s grace, peace, joy, freedom, and power.

 

  In the Old Testament, the book of Joshua tells the story of God fulfilling His promise to his people: that He wants His people to build the kingdom of God in the promised land. For this, God ‘first’ wanted His people to abide in ‘the presence and promise of God’. God commanded this immediately after His people entered the promised land.

 

  Soon, we will start anew in the New Year 2024 that God has allowed us. I pray that the reign of the Kingdom of God will be brought about in our lives. For this, please look to the Kingdom of God that will be established within our hearts. Then, like Daniel, set your heart on God. Abstain from other things in order to focus more on God. And sincerely hope to purify yourselves while focusing on prayer and Bible reading.

 

  During this Daniel prayer, our hope is to be ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. This is a state in which our hearts and lives are filled with the fullness and abundance of God’s reign. In order to achieve our goal, we will empty our greed and instead fill ourselves up with the words of God. Last year, we listened to the book “Life Together” by the pastor Bonhoeffer, and it was a blessed time to all who participated. This time, we will listen to the book “Humility” by Minister Andrew Murray. I believe that our community will once again overflow with grace. My beloved brothers and sisters of Hanmaum church, I ask that each and every one of you gather your hearts together and prepare for the upcoming Daniel Prayer session. (I will explain more on Daniel Prayer next time)

Following the shepherd…
Pastor Jiwon Choi