6 March • Monday of the Second Week in Lent
Daniel 9:4-10
1. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Meditation
As we read this passage, there are three R’s we can take note of to ‘Right a ‘Rong’.
Recognition. …we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules (v.5). We must be mindful of our own sins and shortcomings. Not infrequently, many of us have observed fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who may be angels in church but demons in their workplaces or outside venues. This is particularly true when these siblings in Christ have attained position and power. They are even unable to recognise their unchristian behaviour. Lest we think we are exempt, let us take a long hard look at ourselves in the mirror of self-reflection. If we find black spots, let us recognise them. Let us not have blind spots.
Remorse. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, (v.7); To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. (v.8) Recognition by the mind is followed by remorse of the heart. Daniel feels shame for the sins of Israel. We must feel shame and remorse for our sins. If we experience decreasing intensity of remorse, we are on the road to ruin. We must understand and grasp the severity of sin. Sin is an affront to God.
Repentance. All the recognition and remorse in the world come to nought if we do not turn from our wicked ways. Our repentance is key in the Righting of ‘Rongs. Daniel reminds us all that “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness,” (v.9) Our repentance is a trust in, and thanks to, our God who is gracious toward us.
Prayer
Dear Gracious Heavenly Father, full of mercy and forgiveness, forgive me, I pray. Grant that I may never have decreasing remorse for my wrongdoings. As I come to You today, I recognise that I am a sinner and that I have sinned. I ask Your help to repent, for I am too weak to do so on my own. May my heart always desire to please You and obey Your commands. Amen.
Action
Recall your behaviour in the last week carefully. Were there instances which may be considered sin? Were there occasions where you treated others in a standoffish or confrontational way? Recall the Lord Jesus who, even though he was God, treated the last, the least and the lost, not only with deep love, but also with respect.
Rev David Gwee
Pastor-in-Charge
Covenant Community Methodist Church
Chaplain-in-Charge
Methodist Girl’s School
Comments