Read!

2 Timothy 2:¹⁵ “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (KJV)

Daniel’s prayer started with God speaking to Daniel and Daniel getting to understand through God’s Word. When you read Daniel 9, you see that Daniel’s prayer started with God. For instance, you may be trusting God to be excellent in your business. Then you stumble on Daniel 5:¹² “…an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel…” (NKJV) and Daniel 6:³ “Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him…” (NKJV). Then you realize that you have the Spirit of Christ, the same excellent spirit that was in Daniel, and boom! Light! That is God speaking to you right there.

So, you take the scriptures to God, that is what is called praying. You let God speak to you before you speak to Him, this is what makes prayer powerful. Daniel was reading the scriptures. At that time, it was not the Bible like we know it. It was a parchment. Do you know that Daniel and Jeremiah were contemporaries? Daniel was taken into captivity at the age of fifteen and he was now eighty-five, reading a book written by his contemporary ‘Jerry-boy’. Some of us are too arrogant, too proud to even read books written by our friends. Whereas contained in the book written by your friend can be the solution to your deliverance. The books written by other people of your time can be the solution to your breakthrough.

Daniel knew God, walked with God, and could hear from God. But Daniel needed to read Jeremiah’s book to understand the time he was in. Wow! There is no substitute for reading. Sometimes the things that God wants to deliver to you are hidden in the book that someone has written. Read it! And when you read, illumination comes. Then you can take that illumination into the place of prayer. That is how to pray through. That is how prayer becomes powerful. Guess what? Jeremiah was not taken into captivity. But Daniel was part of those who were taken into captivity. Jeremiah’s writing became a ‘bestseller’ and those in captivity got a copy.

Daniel says, ‘I remember ‘Jerry-boy’, we played soccer together on the streets. I will read his book.’ And while reading Jeremiah’s book, Daniel discovered that the seventy years were done. And because of that insight, Daniel went to God in prayer and God delivered Israel. Wow! There are things in God’s Word waiting for you to discover them.

Prayer: Father, as I study to rightly divide the Word of truth, give me insight, in Jesus Name. Amen!