What role do we play in world events?
My guess is that most if not all of my blog readers are not international business. Neither are we government officials. As such, we may feel that we have not role in what takes place in the world.
On the other hand, as persons of prayer, our role is as large as God and His will. As we pray with millions of other people who read and pray the lectionary, we have a larger role in world events than we may imagine.
Today’s lectionary reading: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031725.cfm.
Reading 1 – Daniel 9:4b-10
Scholars estimate the time of Daniel’s famous prayer in chapter 9 to be around 539 BC, during Darius’s rule. The Babylonian empire had fallen to the Persians, and it seems Daniel was reflecting on Jeremiah’s prophecies.
Jeremiah had prophesied seventy years of exile for the Jewish people. His prayer appears to be connected to the nearing end of this prophesied time.
For this meditation, I have isolated Daniel’s confession of the nation’s sins as a focal point.
- (vs. 5) We have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and ordinances.
- (vs. 6) We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
- (vs. 7) Open shame, as at this day, falls on us . . . because of the treachery that they have committed against you.
- (vs. 8) Open shame, O Lord, falls on us, our kings, our princes, and our ancestors because we have sinned against you.
- (vs. 9-10) We have rebelled against him [God] and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
- (vs. 11) All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice.
- (vs. 13) We did not entreat the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and reflecting on his fidelity.
- (vs. 14) Indeed, the Lord our God is right in all that he has done, for we have disobeyed his voice.
If this prayer resonates with you today, please join me and use it to confess our sins and those of the nation to God.
Let’s cling to God’s promised forgiveness and restoration as a response to our prayer:
If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
The Psalmist asked God to answer their prayers and prove His reality and power. They feared that Israel’s defeats at the hands of enemies worshiping other gods would lead to the belief that God was absent.
The prayer was a plea for God to demonstrate His presence and power.
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes. (Psalm 79:8-10)
Christianity faces a distinct challenge compared to the ancient Hebrew faith.
Mahatma Gandhi’s observation, “I would have been a Christian if it had not been for Christians,” highlights what many believe about Christianity in 2025. If following Jesus were a product, we modern Christian would be failed salespersons.
As we pray, let us ask God to work through us, helping people to see that God is truly real, loving, and present in the world.
Verse Before the Gospel – John 6:63c, 68c
It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life (John 6:63).
“You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
Gospel – Luke 6:36-38
This passage from the Gospel is crucial for revealing God’s character.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.
A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back” (Luke 6:36-38).
When we integrate Jesus’ words with Daniel’s confession, and the Psalmist’s prayers, we create an environment where God can more effectively work through us.
This combination will empower us to show God’s reality to a world that desperately needs to see Him.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed Jacob’s experience with God at Bethel, where he saw a stairway to heaven in Genesis 28.
Real Voices 