Daniel 9:8-9 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
We are possessive individuals. We like to know what is ours, what actually belongs to us. We save money so that we can buy things and call them ours. We take on loans, so that once the loan is paid, something will belong to us.
In Daniel chapter 9, we see something that inherently belongs to us, because we are in this world. And then we see something that inherently belongs to God, who is not of this world. In this chapter, Daniel is praying for God’s people, and asking the Lord to forgive them for their sin. In his prayer, Daniel makes the statement that to us belongs confusion and to the Lord belongs mercy and forgiveness. So we inherently own confusion, but the Lord inherently owns mercy and forgiveness. Which would you choose?
In I John 4:18, we read “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” Fear torments us and causes us to be confused. Because love casts out fear, and God loves us, we know that, “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (I Corinthians 14:33). So where does this confusion come from? If it doesn’t come from the Lord, then it must come from the devil, who “walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8).
So confusion, which we own due to our sinful nature, leads us to unrest in our heart and mind. But God, with His mercy and forgiveness, offers us peace, calm, and Godly wisdom. Which would you choose?
Daily we are given a choice. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Though we make an eternal, one-time, choice to accept Jesus as Savior, we still need to make a choice every day to follow after Him or to follow the ways of the world. It’s a daily choice. In Deuteronomy 30:19, we read “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” Every day, the Lord sets a choice before us – a choice to live for Him or to live for the world and ourselves. In that choice, we are choosing between confusion and distress or peace and calm. Which will you choose?
If you find yourself in a state of confusion, check your choices. And start with the first choice you make each day – that choice to begin your day with the Lord, or to hop out of bed and straight into the world. Remember, confusion and fear doesn’t come from the Lord. More importantly, remember that in the same way that we can make a daily choice to follow Christ, we can also come to Him daily when we mess up. I John 1:9 reminds us, “ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Just as Peter needed his feet washed to cleanse him of the daily dust of the world (John 13:10), we need to come to Jesus daily for forgiveness, and to renew our choice for Him. The devil and the world will try every day to pull you away from Christ. Which will you choose?