SOAP: community repentance

S - Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth... Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. — Daniel 9:13; 10:12 (ESV)

O - Daniel perceived what God said through the prophets. He saw his sin, and the sin of God's people. He owned it all and moved forward himself in prayer, repentance, and God's truth. God heard him, and cared for him in the midst of exile.

A - I am struck by how Daniel owned his people's sin, and made a choice to obey God himself. Too often I think of myself as an individual following God, or even give up following God "all the way" because of how I perceive other people around me. Daniel viewed his relationship with God in the context of God's people being scattered and having been disobedient for generations. Will I own the sins of the church, present and past? Will I mourn my part in the disobedience of God's people? This was not overwhelming or unwanted by Daniel, instead, this kind of community repentance was integral to his own devotion to God.

P - Lord, I sense we have lost our first love and fallen "in love" with the gifts of faith, not the giver of faith. We were made for a love relationship with you. Gifts are only temporary, but, you, the Giver, are eternal. You are awesome God. O, how we have fallen in love with your gifts and neglected you. Lord, how addicted we have become to your gifts and simply left you behind. Help us return to you, not for our sake, but for the sake of your mercy and your name!