Daily Devotions | September 14–19
Thriving in Babylon — 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Keep the Window Open
Verse:
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”
Daniel 6:10
Daniel lived in Babylon, but Babylon did not have to live in Daniel.
Every day he was surrounded by a culture that did not share his convictions. He worked within its government, interacted with its leaders, and lived among people who worshiped different gods. Daniel could not escape Babylon—and God had not called him to.
But Daniel had a window.
Three times a day, he turned toward Jerusalem and prayed. Jerusalem reminded Daniel of his covenant, his God, and his true identity. Before returning to the noise of Babylon, Daniel intentionally connected himself to another Kingdom.
We need that same rhythm.
Our “Babylon” can be loud. News, social media, entertainment, opinions, fear, anger, comparison, schedules, responsibilities, and endless notifications compete for our attention. None of those voices has to be evil to become too loud.
Prayer opens the window.
Prayer reminds us that what we see around us is not the only reality. There is another Kingdom, and there is another King.
During these 21 days, don’t simply focus on what you are giving up. Intentionally open the window. Before allowing the world to tell you what matters today, spend some time with Jesus.
You may have to live in Babylon today—but Babylon doesn’t have to live in you.
Consider: What voice has been loudest in my life lately? What changes when God’s voice becomes the one I listen for first?
Prayer:
Jesus, quiet the voices that have become too loud in my life. Remind me today who You are, who I am, and what Kingdom I belong to. Keep my heart connected to You wherever You have placed me. Amen.
Suggested Reading: Daniel 6:1–23
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
Turn Down the Noise
Verse:
“Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.”
Daniel 9:3
Sometimes we think fasting makes God speak louder.
But perhaps fasting does something different: it makes us quieter.
Imagine someone you love trying to speak to you while you have noise-canceling headphones on with the volume turned all the way up. They may be speaking clearly, but you cannot hear them because something else has your attention.
Life can become like that spiritually.
God has not stopped speaking through His Word. His Spirit has not stopped working. But our lives can become so crowded with noise, appetites, entertainment, responsibilities, and distractions that we struggle to recognize what He is saying.
Fasting intentionally turns some of that volume down.
It says, “For this season, this appetite will not control me. This distraction will not have unlimited access to my attention. Jesus is Lord.”
That is why fasting is about much more than food.
We can give up certain foods for 21 days and still fill every available moment with something else. We can change our diet without changing our attention.
Daniel said, “I set my face toward the Lord God.”
That’s the purpose.
When you notice the absence of something you normally enjoy during this fast, don’t merely think about what you cannot have. Allow the absence to become an invitation:
Turn your face toward Jesus.
Put the phone down for a few minutes. Open your Bible. Worship. Pray. Sit quietly in God’s presence.
You may discover that God wasn’t absent.
There was simply too much noise.
Consider: What could I intentionally turn down this week so I can give more attention to God?
Prayer:
Lord, show me anything that has become louder in my life than it should be. Help me quiet my appetites and distractions—not simply to practice discipline, but so I can turn my face toward You. Give me ears to hear what Your Spirit is saying. Amen.
Suggested Reading: Daniel 9:1–19
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
Don’t Just Give Something Up
Verse:
“Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting…”
Daniel 9:3
There is an important difference between giving something up and seeking Someone.
If all we do during a fast is change what we eat, we may become healthier—but we can miss the spiritual purpose entirely.
Fasting creates space. What matters is what we do with that space.
Daniel didn’t simply abstain. He sought God.
Think about what you have chosen to surrender during these 21 days. Every time you notice its absence, let it become a reminder of God’s presence.
When you’re hungry—pray.
When you instinctively reach for something you’ve chosen to set aside—pray.
When you have extra time because you’ve reduced entertainment or social media—open the Word.
Let every “no” to an appetite become a fresh “yes” to Jesus.
And as you seek Him, don’t make every moment about asking God to change circumstances. Sometimes the most important prayer we can pray is:
“Lord, what are You wanting to change in me?”
Prayer doesn’t always immediately change the world around us. But prayer changes the world within us.
It recenters us.
It recalibrates us.
It reminds us who God is, who we are, and why He has placed us where we are.
Maybe you need direction. Maybe you need renewal. Maybe you need clarity. Maybe you simply recognize that you haven’t been as close to Jesus as you once were.
Whatever your need, turn your face toward Him.
Twenty-one days from now, the greatest testimony won’t be, “I completed a fast.”
Let it be:
“I encountered God.”
Consider: Am I primarily concentrating on what I have given up, or am I intentionally using this season to draw closer to Jesus?
Prayer:
Jesus, I don’t want this fast to simply change my routine. I want You to change me. I turn my face toward You today. Speak to me, search me, renew me, and draw me closer to You. Amen.
Suggested Reading: Psalm 63:1–8
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Change the World Within Me
Verse:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23–24
One of the easiest prayers to pray is:
“God, change them.”
Change my spouse.
Change my coworker.
Change my child.
Change my boss.
Change my neighbor.
Change our culture.
Sometimes those situations genuinely need God’s intervention. But prayer also invites us to ask a more difficult question:
“God, what do You want to change in me?”
Daniel’s prayer life didn’t remove Babylon. It prepared Daniel to live faithfully within it.
Prayer continually brought him back into alignment with God. It shaped his character so that what God was doing inside Daniel became stronger than what Babylon was doing around Daniel.
That may be one of God’s greatest purposes for these 21 days.
We are praying for our families, our church, our community, and people who desperately need Jesus. We should. But while we are asking God to move around us, let’s also give Him permission to work within us.
Maybe He wants to change an attitude.
Maybe He wants to heal an offense.
Maybe He wants to confront pride.
Maybe He wants to restore compassion for someone we’ve stopped seeing through His eyes.
Maybe He wants to reorder our priorities.
Revival isn’t only something God does around us. Revival begins when we humble ourselves and allow God to transform us.
Before asking God to show you what’s wrong with Babylon today, invite Him to search your heart.
The prayer that changes your world may begin with:
“Jesus, start with me.”
Consider: If God answered every prayer I’ve prayed about other people but changed nothing in me, would His work be complete?
Prayer:
Search me, Jesus. Reveal anything in my heart that does not reflect You. Before I ask You to change everyone around me, give me the humility to let You change me. Make my life a clear reflection of Your Kingdom. Amen.
Suggested Reading: Psalm 139:1–24
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
Don’t Quit on Day Twenty
Verse:
“Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard…”
Daniel 10:12
Daniel prayed.
Day one—nothing he could see.
Day five—still praying.
Day ten—still waiting.
Day fifteen—still no visible answer.
Imagine Daniel on day twenty.
He had been seeking God for nearly three weeks, yet from Daniel’s perspective, nothing seemed to be happening.
Then came the message:
“From the first day…your words were heard.”
What an incredible revelation.
Daniel discovered that silence did not mean absence, and delay did not mean denial.
Something had been happening beyond what Daniel could see.
We should be careful not to assume we know why every prayer is delayed. Scripture does not give us permission to explain every unanswered prayer by speculation about the spiritual realm.
But Daniel 10 does give us permission to believe this:
God hears us even when we cannot yet see what He is doing.
There are probably names you have prayed for repeatedly.
Situations you cannot fix.
Prodigals you want to see return.
Doors you need God to open.
Questions for which you still don’t have answers.
Don’t interpret the delay as proof that God doesn’t care.
And don’t quit on day twenty.
Faithfulness sometimes means continuing to pray when there is no visible evidence that anything is changing.
You don’t know everything God is doing beyond what you can see.
So open the window again.
Pray again.
Believe again.
Seek Him again.
Your responsibility is not to manufacture the answer. Your responsibility is to remain connected to the One who hears you.
Consider: What prayer have I been tempted to stop praying because I haven’t seen an answer yet?
Prayer:
Lord, You know the prayers I have carried for a long time. When I cannot see what You are doing, help me trust Your character. Give me strength to keep praying, keep believing, and keep seeking You. Amen.
Suggested Reading: Daniel 10:1–21
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
Open the Window—and Then Walk Into Babylon
Verse:
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”
Matthew 5:14
Daniel’s window did not become an escape hatch from Babylon.
After he prayed, Daniel closed the door to his room, walked downstairs, and went back into Babylon.
He served.
He worked.
He interacted with people who did not believe what he believed.
He faithfully represented another Kingdom.
That’s important because the purpose of prayer and fasting isn’t to make us so focused on ourselves that we stop seeing the people around us.
Prayer prepares us for mission.
We are asking God during these 21 days to help us recognize where He is already working. There may be someone around you who is ready for somebody to pray with them. Someone who needs encouragement. Someone who is spiritually hungry but doesn’t know how to describe that hunger. Someone who needs to hear about Jesus.
Prayer makes us sensitive enough to notice.
Babylon is not our home—but it is our mission.
God has placed you where you are for a reason.
Your workplace can become a mission field.
Your school can become a mission field.
Your neighborhood can become a mission field.
The grocery store, coffee shop, family gathering, or conversation you weren’t expecting can become a divine appointment.
So today, open the window.
Spend time with Jesus.
Let Him strengthen you in His presence.
But then get up and walk into your world with your spiritual eyes open.
Ask a simple question:
“Jesus, who are You already working on around me, and how can I join You?”
Daniel could thrive publicly in Babylon because he consistently met privately with God.
May the same be true of us.
Consider: Who has God already placed in my life that I could intentionally encourage, pray for, or share Jesus with?
Prayer:
Jesus, let my time with You shape the way I see the people around me. Give me Your heart for my family, my church, my workplace, my school, and my community. Show me where You are already working, and give me courage to join You there. Let someone see Your Kingdom through my life today. Amen.
Suggested Reading: Matthew 5:13–16; Colossians 4:2–6
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE
Keep the window open.
When Babylon gets loud—pray.
When an appetite demands your attention—turn your face toward Jesus.
When God searches your heart—let Him change you.
When the answer seems delayed—keep praying.
And when you leave the place of prayer—walk back into your world ready to represent your King.
Don’t let these 21 days merely change what you eat. Let them change what you hear, what you see, how you pray, how you live, and how closely you walk with Jesus.
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