do you want the light?
"Give, and it shall be given to you." —Luke 6:38
Daniel knew that if he could understand Jeremiah 25:11, he could give to his people the strength and encouragement to hold on to their faith even under the worst conditions. Likewise, if we only understood more parts of the Bible, we could set people free, heal the sick, reconcile enemies, and transform lives. How can we understand God's word more deeply?
The Lord helped Daniel understand His word by calling Daniel to:
- earnest prayer (Dn 9:3),
- fasting (Dn 9:3), and
- sackcloth, ashes, and the confession of both his sins (Dn 9:3-4) and those of his people (Dn 9:20).
Daniel's prayer, fasting, and repentance were answered. The Lord sent the archangel Gabriel to reveal the meaning of the Scriptures to Daniel (Dn 9:21).
How committed are you to understanding the Scriptures? Will you pray, fast, and repent? Or will you only make a halfhearted effort to understand God's word, and then blame God's word for not speaking to the circumstances of your life? Do you love people enough to give them only the best, that is, the truth and light of God's word? If you truly want to understand much more of God's word, you can. Receive God's word "not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God at work within you who believe" (1 Thes 2:13).
Prayer: Father, this Lent may Your word be more precious to me than thousands of dollars (see Ps 119:72).
Promise: "Yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!" —Dn 9:9
Praise: Frances died a most happy death: kneeling in prayer before an altar, in the light of Jesus.
Reference: (We offer several Bible reading schedules to help you in reading the Word. Call us for more information about Our Lady Of Guadalupe Bible College Bible Study courses.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, July 26, 1997
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 1997