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INTRODUCTION
The Middle East has always been a dangerous place,
and even more so today! Prominent African-American economist and
political writer, Thomas Sowell said, "There have been more cease-fires
in the Middle East than anywhere else. If cease-fires actually promoted
peace, the Middle East would be the most peaceful region on the face of
the earth instead of the most violent."
It was no less dangerous in the days of
Daniel the prophet. When he was in captivity in Babylon, during the rule
of King Darius the Mede, the spirit of excellence that God had put in
him gave him great favor in the eyes of the king. As a result, he was
exalted to the position of governor of the entire kingdom. Daniel was an
intercessor, praying three times a day according to the religion of his
fathers, who worshipped the one true God, and he would not bow down to
the gods of the Mede-Persians (Iraq & Iran today).
However, excellence alone is no guarantee of positional tenure, as
Daniel was about to find out. Other jealous leaders conspired his
demise by changing the laws to outlaw prayer. Few men have the strength
to rejoice in a friend's success without envy. Sound familiar...?
DIFFERENT TIME, SAME SPIRIT!
In America, there has been a systematic effort by
a few cultural elites, since 1961, to outlaw prayer in this nation. From
that point, you can track the moral decline, along with the progressive
strangling of freedoms regarding prayer in any public forum, and in some
cases, also in private. Commentator Mark Berley relates it
to: "...Political correctness [which] is really a subjective list put
together by the few to rule the many — a list of things one must think,
say, or do. It affronts the right of the individual to establish his or
her own beliefs." 2,500 years
ago, Daniel had to deal with the same problem that we are facing today in this nation.
PRAYER ACTIVISM
Daniel was probably a young governor when he was challenged to
compromise his beliefs and values. He held fast to his principles and
did not even let the threat of death turn him away from what he believed
in. As a result, he was delivered from the lion's den and placed
into the palace. Likewise, in America, there is a young generation of
"prayer activists" beginning
to rise up and take a stand against spiritual forces today
similar to those Daniel faced long ago. They are recognizing that the 'freedoms'
their 'Boomer' parents sought after are largely responsible for the threat
to the future of this nation.
One example is the group of young intercessors who recently
staged silent protests on behalf of the unborn in Washington, D.C.,
determining to 'reverse the decree of Roe vs. Wade' through prayer. Each
member covered his mouth with a piece of duct tape that had the word
"life" written on it and began a 'silent siege' in front of the Supreme
Court building. For five hours each day, they stood silently, identifying
with the silent screams of the unborn, and repenting for the silence of
the church.
A GLOBAL SPIRITUAL VIEW
However, the spirit that works to silence the power of prayer in America
is surely a first cousin to the spirit that is at work in the Middle
East, promoting the destruction of the nation that gave us our Christian
roots, Israel. That spirit is the Prince of Persia (see Daniel 10:20)!
It inspired the first destruction of Israel, which resulted in
the destruction of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar, and the 70-year
Babylonian captivity for the Jews. The spirit is still at work today, working
through Iran (Persia) to destroy Israel forever. The destruction of
Israel is just the first step! The big picture is that this spirit
employs Islamic jihadists to do its bidding, with the ultimate aim of
shutting down the Judeo-Christian way of life and replacing it with a
global religion of force.
THE BALANCE OF POWER
The Church wields the balance of power in world
affairs. God will do nothing without her, and He does nothing without
prayer! Prayer brings to pass the will of God on the earth. The greatest
battle in the world today is the battle against prayer. Everything in
our culture violates our prayer lives. I'm convinced that the world will
be won by little old ladies who pray in their prayer closets!
During these times, like Daniel, we must stand tall for what we
believe in, but do our fighting on our knees! And let us
never forget that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. The armies
of Christ are not armed with guns and bombs, but with truth, love, the
power of the Holy Spirit and prayer!
Even in our personal lives, prayer has the power
to take us out of any pit and put us into the palace!
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