The more I walk through Daniel the more I see it as a master class on intercession. Years ago I tried to develop a series called “Living in Babylon” based on Daniel. I taught on Daniel, blogged on Daniel, did podcasts on Daniel.

And more than ever I am convinced we need his example. American Christians need his example. As I watch conservative American Christians desperately hold on to the last threads of Christendom and act like it’s the Kingdom of God itself, I am convinced even more that we need Daniel as an example.

I could call it “the remnant” of the American Church or the “Confessing Church” as in Germany under the rise of Hitler, but there is a true Body of Jesus followers in the American Church. They don’t decry the end of Christendom. They are not going kicking and screaming into these massive shifts.

They have seen King Jesus and their eyes are on HIM.

Daniel had everything stripped away. The Temple was gone. Jewish culture was gone. The illusion of a “one God” nation was gone. But he stayed focused on following the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He immersed himself into the culture of Babylon without becoming assimilated in spirit. He made himself useful and found his way to the top.

Because of it, God found his man to begin to communicate what was next. Daniel’s visions are fantastic and terrifying. Even HE got caught up in trying to figure out the details of each vision!

But God would direct him back to the point of it all: God’s Kingdom reigns. Babylon will be gone. Persia will be gone. There will be others to rise, and then fall. What will keep marching is the Kingdom of God. What will keep growing is the Kingdom of God.

Focus on the King, the Ancient of Days.

When I was working on “Living in Babylon,” I scribbled some concluding notes on the last page of Daniel in one of my Bibles so I could be reminded to “keep the main thing the main thing.”

Up front is our need to have dependence on GOD ALONE. We want to keep trying to “fix things.” It is our trust in God that needs to be molded. This is a lesson he will continually bring us back to as we struggle to keep trying to fix things!

We trust in governments and political ideologies. We trust in power and manipulation. We trust in economic theories. We keep trying to work systems of this world that are deep down truly opposed to the Kingdom of God. And ALL systems of this world are truly opposed to the Kingdom of God.

We keep trying to look at the Gospels and say, “See! Jesus was a socialist!” Or “See! Jesus was a capitalist!”

That demonstrates only one thing: we keep trying to make God into OUR image.

We must wake up to the reality of the Kingdom of God and his freedom. We must be stripped of all other allegiances. We must grip the Kingdom of God, and more importantly, let the Kingdom of God grip us.

We must trust the One on the throne!

We must walk in obedience to the ways of the Kingdom. He says, “Follow me,” not, “let me give you 588 theology lessons, memorize them and then recite them back to me.” When he says, “Follow me,” it means you don’t get all the details. You have been trusting him, now do what he says!

Spiritual disciplines and spiritual formation will lead us in the way of obedience.

Liturgy of our lives, the worship of our lives, grounded in the ancient paths of the Church, will guide us in obedience and trust.

All of this in our lives will yield what is truly needed in the American Church:

Wisdom
Humility
Faith
Endurance
Radical love

As I go back through Daniel this time, I see that list in Daniel’s life. And it led the people of Israel back out of captivity and to their return to Jerusalem. It put them on a path of truly being a “one God” people.

And it sustained Daniel through all the upheaval of losing all that was familiar to be thrown into an entirely new cultural system without moaning about it.

We need these lessons. And then we need to pray for the American CHURCH.

The remnant, the confessing church, whatever moniker you want to give it, will help lead through this mess and help believers find their way home.

Eyes on the throne!