“He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭5:21-23‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/dan.5.21-23.esv
All,This stands out because Daniel says, “And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven.” Do we know someone who knows about the Lord, but doesn’t know Him? It may be a family member or friend. Do you have a sense of conviction around this person? How is your relationship with them? Please pray that we and our friends seek to understand and then be understood. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten your friend. CLC has great tools to engage in conversation with your friend or loved one. Please let me know if you want to discuss.

“Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58:2-4, 6-8‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/isa.58.2-4,6-8.esv
All,This stands out because the Lord says, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” Humanity has problems that need to be solved. When we look to the world to solve oppression, it creates more oppression and sorrows. However, when we look to God and ask Him to give us wisdom and discernment, “healing shall spring up speedily”. Please pray that we and our friends ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and discernment during these trying times. Please pray for leaders in our country to seek God for the answers and not man.

“And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3:4-7‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/dan.3.4-7.esv
All,This stands out because Daniel says, “Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.” Do we notice when the world has set up a idol and it seems like everyone will blindly follow a certain line of thinking? If you don’t follow the group think, you are shamed. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego didn’t go along with the group think and were thrown into a furnace, but God saved them. Please pray that we and our friends will pray over all our actions today. Please pray for this country to seek Christ.

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:4-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/isa.53.4-6.esv
All,This stands out because Isaiah says, “with his wounds we are healed.”. Christ heals us. We don’t heal ourselves. God had a plan for Jesus to take away our sinful nature and heal us forever. Please pray that we and our friends are grateful and willingly submit to Him. Please pray for our country to heal.

“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:20-27‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/pro.4.20-27.esv
All,This stands out because Solomon says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” What do you allow in your heart? Current political issues? Covid issues? Fear? Pride? Jesus wants us to abide in Him always. It seems like we lose control when we do that, but we actually have more control as we are receiving wisdom from the One who knows all. Please pray that we and our friends ponder what we allow in our heart. Please pray for David Danhoff’s family as he is in his eternal home.

“Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭36:13-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/isa.36.13-20.esv
All,This stands out because King says, “Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us.” Are you tempted to listen to the worldly wise of the day? It’s worth it to do a study of how often the worldly wise of the day are actually completely wrong and try to take credit for the changes that christians actually accomplished over the last 2000 years. Please pray that we and our friends seek to please a audience of one today. Please pray for all those who have been decimated by this economy.

“O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered, and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon. The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭33:2-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/isa.33.2-6.esv
All,This stands out because Isaiah says, “we wait for you. Be our arm every morning”. Are you waiting on the Lord for something today? It’s very tough to wait, but it puts our perspective of God being our Lord into clarity. I constantly forget that “God is God and I’m not”. Please pray that we and our friends wait on the Lord today. Please pray for my friend with prostrate cancer.

“Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly. The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:20-25‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/pro.16.20-25.esv
All,This stands out because Solomon says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Do you have anguish over bad past decisions? I do. I also have them about present decisions that are not completed yet. The only solution I see is prayer for wisdom and discernment of His will. Even if it seems bad, we will have rest that we went to Him first. We can’t see the future, but He does. It seems crazy to trust our intellect over His. Please pray that we and our friends seek Gods purpose in everything. Please pray for friends that are being dismayed economically now.

“So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live. Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned. “Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭20:10-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/ezk.20.10-13.esv
All,This stands out because the Lord says, “Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” I have a difficult time being absolutely dependent on Jesus. Inevitably, I start thinking that it’s better if I’m in control of something and that always leads me down a bad path. However, the Sabbath is a weekly reminder that God is God. He gave us our abilities, intelligence, parents, country, time in history, etc. How wonderful it is when I remember He is in control and I’m not. Please pray that we and our friends enjoy being abundantly dependent on God today. Please pray for Jon and Teddy’s group.

“All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭8:8-12‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/pro.8.8-12.esv
All,This stands out because Solomon says, “They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. “. Do you seek wisdom with the same tenacity that you seek wealth? Nothing is wrong with wealth as long as it’s not pursued more than a relationship with God. Are you more concerned when your actual bank account is low or your relationship with God is low? Please pray that we and our friends seek Wisdom first. Please pray for a good friend who has prostrate cancer.