Intentional Worship -- Daniel 6

 Daniel 6:10 

Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

In Daniel's day once the king had written a law and enforced it, the king could not rescind that law. He could, however, make a new law voiding the wrongful law. Until then the bad law remained in effect, especially on the first day it's put into practice. 

Knowing this document, this law, was now in effect Daniel deliberately with full intention of disobeying the unreasonable law prayed three times a day to God. His enemies were always watching him to see if they could catch him doing something illegal. Knowing that Daniel prayed three times a day to his God, they purposefully created and suggested to the king that he enact a law to thwart Daniel's time with God.

Daniel 6:4-8

Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, "King Darius, live for ever. 

All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

Therefore, O king, establish the decree and sign the document so that it cannot be changed—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”

In Daniel 6:9 we read that the king signed this egregious document, this outrageous law. And now we get to the heart, the meat, of our study: Daniel's intent. 

In the privacy of his own home, in the room he had previously chosen to pray in, Daniel knelt three times a day and prayed to God, thanking Him. 
Can we do that? Knowing that laws have been written against us, laws which will throw us in prison, laws that will attempt to thwart our relationship with God, laws that when enforced will take our very lives? Can we thank God then? How can we thank God then, if we aren't thanking Him now? 

Our worship towards God needs to be intentional, on purpose with purpose. God knows our hearts. If our hearts aren't right with God, then He can't hear our worship: it falls on deaf ears. We must get our hearts aligned with His that He may be glorified in our worship. After all, the purpose of our worship is to love and adore on Him. 

"O Come Let Us Adore Him"  is a call to worship God, first sung by angels at Jesus' birth. But it's more than just a 'Christmas Carol', it's a pleading call to "come and adore God and the Son of God." "Adoration" is fervent (intensity of spirit, burning, enthusiastic) and devoted (zealous, passionate) love, reverence and respect. 

It is impossible to intentionally worship God under these definitions if our hearts are not right with God for our worship comes from our heart, from our souls. What is our soul? Our mind (our thoughts and how we think), our attitude (how we portray what we think and believe, our emotions), our will (putting our thoughts into action, speaking or doing said actions). 

When a person believes in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation, their soul becomes saved. We are Saved out of the darkness of sin which separates a person from God. We sincerely and intentionally repent of the sins which we have committed against God and His Word; and He forgives us. We pray for His Holy Spirit to live in us and mold us into the people created us to be, discarding the uncleanness that is in our hearts and replacing it with the Word of God, which we read and study daily that it might be written in our hearts by God. 

Psalm 95:6

O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

We who have walked out of the dark and into the His Light rejoice for the mercies of God on us, for His compassion and lovingkindness towards us! How can we not thank Him for all He has done for us? We bow now, we kneel before Him INTENTIONALLY and ON PURPOSE, WITH PURPOSE. 

Isaiah 45:23

By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone out from My mouth, a Word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.

Romans 14:11

It is written: "As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God."

Philippians 2:8-11

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Daniel's faith in God, his love for His God, was greater than any law that the king could produce. Nonetheless, Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, where he remained safely, for the Lord God had shut the lions' mouths and kept them from killing Daniel, which was the intent and purpose of the men who rose against him. And then they were thrown into the lions' den and received their intent upon themselves. 

Daniel's faith was counted unto him as righteousness. He is mentioned once more in the Book of Hebrews, in 'The Hall of Faith': Verse 33: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions (Daniel 6:22= "My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.” )

Again I ask, is your worship intentional? Are you and I purposefully, with a righteous heart, worshiping God? We can only answer these questions truthfully when we allow the work of the Holy Spirit to convict us when we have done wrong in God's sight and bring us to repentance when we kneel before Him with humble hearts, seeking His face and eagerly listening for His voice.