Nougat 15

Where is our spiritual center? Is it a building, a person or an object? Consider today’s Holy Nougat, where Daniel gives us a sense of this.

“But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.” ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭6:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What further strikes me is that Daniel ensured that his prayer was always directed towards Jerusalem. This is noteworthy for we recall that Daniel was a long way from home. As one of the exiles, it was highly unlikely that he would see home (ie Israel and Judah) again. And with Jerusalem being the spiritual capital as well as the home of the Ark of the Covenant (housed in the temple); many had lost interest in maintaining a relationship with God. Daniel was NOT one of them. He sought to maintain his spiritual life and directed his prayers towards the place of access, Jerusalem.

One might argue that we are also in exile. As believers, we recognize our true home as Heaven (a country we’ve never seen) and we know we’re a long way from home. But, there’s a particular difference in Daniel’s situation and our own. For, as long as we are on earth, Christ lives within us. And though we assemble jointly in sanctuaries, our spiritual center is not Jerusalem or a building; it is within us, where Christ dwells. Thus, when we pray, we have access to the temple (our bodies), and in turn, immediate access to Christ. Additionally, we have the blessed assurance that we WILL be going to our home some day.

When we consider ourselves exiles, or at least temporary dwellers here on earth, we begin to strengthen our allegiance to our Sovereign, YHWH, the Lord God Almighty. Through our prayers, study and contextualising of the Word of God, assembling with other citizens and our lived expressions of our faith, we maintain our citizenship and our spiritual identity. Continued practice makes it easier to withstand the pressure from others to denounce Christ for temporary gain. Like Daniel, let us open the windows of our lives and – regardless of who’s watching – worship God in spirit and in truth. It may transform someone else.

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May all we seek be found in Christ