Understanding The Times

Photo by Akshar Dave

In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. Daniel 9:2

Daniel is in Babylon, he has been here for a long time, but a time has come when God was beginning to change things. Daniel does something, he positioned himself to understand the times. From the word of God, he understood that the seventy years of captivity had ended. God was about to fulfill the promise He had made to the Israelites to bring them back to their own land.

For thus says the LORD: when seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:10-11

Daniel had positioned himself to know and understand the times, and by this, he was able to discover that it was the time when the word of the Lord was supposed to be fulfilled.

TAKE AWAY:

A Kairos moment

Kairos is a Greek word meaning time, but not just any time- it means the right, critical, or opportune moment for something. In God’s calendar, there are times and seasons for specific things, and it is often important for us to understand them.

In this passage, it was the time for God to fulfill His promise to the Israelites. What stands out is that the kairos moment wasn’t common knowledge to everyone. In fact, only Daniel is able to decipher the time through a deliberate searching of the scripture. It makes me wonder… What would have happened had no one taken the time to know what time it was? The Israelites would have probably gone about their business not knowing the time God had set for his promises to be fulfilled had finally come.

It is possible to be in God’s kairos moment and be unaware. Do you know the season you are in? Do you understand the time and what things need to happen in your life at this moment?

Some of us could be in a kairos moment where God is wanting to lead us into covenant relationships but we may be unaware because we are not positioned spiritually. For some of us, it may be a kairos moment for the fulfillment of long-awaited promises, but we may have been in our circumstances so long that we aren’t paying attention. For some of us, it may be a critical moment for our transitioning into the next thing but we might need to be aware so we can be in place for what needs to happen.

Don’t be found out of location physically and spiritually when the kairos moment for your life arrives.

Daniel was well positioned to be able to understand the times he was in.

Prayer

Daniel doesn’t just understand the times, he goes a step further.

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. Daniel 9:3

Daniel turns to the Lord concerning His promise to Israel and intercedes over the word. He petitions God’s mercy on behalf of his people. He reminds God of his tender love and kindness towards them. Daniel 9: 19 Lord, listen! Lord forgive! Lord hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people.

He asks the Lord to hear and remember His promise. He tells God to forgive and act according to His promises.

We can see here that just understanding the seasons isn’t enough; there must be intercession for those promises to be fulfilled. God never works without man’s participation on earth. Man participates through prayer. When we pray, we come into agreement with heaven on what needs to be done on earth. Our faith in God to do what He has spoken has to go beyond just believing to the place of partnering with God to see those things fulfilled. Daniel doesn’t just know that seventy years are over and then goes about his business. He doesn’t say, “ Well if God promised then it’s up to Him to fulfill it”. He partners with God through prayer.

Don’t minimize the power of prayer. If there is nothing else you can do in that situation you can pray. You can pray for God’s will to be done. You can pray for God to reveal His promise to you concerning that situation. You can pray that God’s time for fulfilling His word in your life will not be delayed.

Knowing what to do

And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. 1 Chronicles 12:32a

The men of Issachar didn’t just understand the times, they also knew what they were supposed to do, and did it. When we understand what God is doing, and partner with Him through prayer, we also have a role to play in doing what we are supposed to do.

Through prayer, we are able to receive instruction to know what to do. God will give us the wisdom to know exactly what to do where His promises are concerned. He will reveal to us who we need to talk to. Show us where we need to go, and guide us on how we should go about receiving His promises.

Understanding the times is critical because if we don’t know the time, then it means we will not do what needs to be done. We not only partner with God through prayer, but we also partner with heaven through our obedience of faith. By faith we are able to do what we are supposed to do so God can do His part.

Take the step of faith… Apply for the job, start the business, pursue the relationship, set in motion the dream, write the book, and start the prayer group. Whatever you feel you need to do, get up and do it.

What are you supposed to be doing in this season? And are you doing it?

For some of us, the instruction right now is to bring forth God’s kairos moment through prayer. For some of us, we already know what to do but we are not doing it because it requires our participation by faith. For some of us, we have understood the times, prayed, and done what we knew to do. Now, what remains is to rest and remember that He who has promised is faithful and reliable to fulfill His promises to us.

God is looking for people like Daniel, who will position themselves so they can understand the times-the kairos moment – and partner with God to see those things happen.