Daniel’s Prayer??? A Word From THE WORD!!! #493

I am teaching the book of Daniel right now, and we were looking this week at Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9, and I feel led to share it with you today.  I pray that you will consider these things, especially in the trying times that we are living through.  First of all, I simply want you to read through the verses and consider what we can learn from Daniel and his faithfulness in prayer. (and if you really want to understand Daniel’s view of prayer, read the whole book—it may help you have a new perspective on the import and life-changing principle of faithful, diligent and humbly earnest prayers!)

“In the first year of his reign

I Daniel understood by books

the number of the years,

whereof the word of the LORD

came to Jeremiah the prophet,

that he would accomplish seventy years

in the desolations of Jerusalem.

3 And I set my face unto the Lord God,

to seek by prayer and supplications,

with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God,

and made my confession, and said,

O Lord, the great and dreadful God,

keeping the covenant and mercy

to them that love him,

and to them that keep

his commandments;

5 We have sinned,

and have committed iniquity,

and have done wickedly,

and have rebelled,

even by departing from thy precepts

and from thy judgments:

6 Neither have we hearkened

unto thy servants the prophets,

which spake in thy name to our kings,

our princes,

and our fathers,

and to all the people of the land.

7 O Lord, righteousness

belongeth unto thee,

but unto us confusion of faces,

as at this day;

to the men of Judah,

and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

and unto all Israel,

that are near,

and that are far off,

through all the countries

whither thou hast driven them,

because of their trespass

that they have trespassed

against thee.

8 O Lord, to us

belongeth confusion of face, to our kings,

to our princes,

and to our fathers,

because we have sinned

against thee.

9 To the Lord our God

belong mercies and forgivenesses,

though we have rebelled against him;

10 Neither have we obeyed

the voice of the LORD our God,

to walk in his laws,

which he set before us

by his servants the prophets.

11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law,

even by departing,

that they might not obey thy voice;

therefore the curse is poured upon us,

and the oath that is written

in the law of Moses the servant of God,

because we have sinned against him.

12 And he hath confirmed his words,

which he spake against us,

and against our judges that judged us,

by bringing upon us a great evil:

for under the whole heaven

hath not been done as hath been done

upon Jerusalem.

13 As it is written in the law of Moses,

all this evil is come upon us:

yet made we not our prayer

before the LORD our God,

that we might turn from our iniquities,

and understand thy truth…

… 17 Now therefore, O our God,

hear the prayer of thy servant,

and his supplications,

and cause thy face to shine

upon thy sanctuary that is desolate,

for the Lord’s sake.

18 O my God,

incline thine ear,

and hear;

open thine eyes,

and behold our desolations,

and the city which is called by thy name:

for we do not present our supplications

before thee for our righteousnesses,

but for thy great mercies.

19 O Lord, hear;  

O Lord, forgive;

O Lord, hearken and do;

defer not, for thine own sake, O my God:

for thy city and thy people

are called by thy name.”    Portions of Daniel 9:2-19

As we think of praying, what are we to pray for?  Look at Daniel, who was an honorable and obedient servant of God, yet he identified with his own people who had sinned and asked God to forgive and restore them.  Should we not pray with that same attitude toward the situation in our country.  Look at the pronouns that Daniel used—not “them” or “they”, or even “those sinful people”—Daniel identified with the brokenness of his own people.  We are to depend on the Savior to direct our hearts and minds into obedient yieldedness to intercede for others, to ask God to bring the heart of our nation back to Him, to help we who are His children to have a heart of brokenness over sin (our own and our nation) as Daniel did.  America will never experience revival until we who are God’s own are willing to face our own sin, and seek God’s face for forgiveness, renewal, and power to walk with Him, and make a difference in the lives of others.

I want to share just a few New Testament passages that give us an idea of how God desires for us to pray.  Jesus gives us an amazing parallel to Daniel’s prayer.  What did Jesus say?  He used the same idea of identification in the model prayer; our Father…give us this day…Thy kingdom come…Thy will be done…forgive us…as we forgive…lead us not into temptation.

“Confess your faults

one to another,

and pray

one for another,

that ye may be healed.

The effectual fervent prayer

of a righteous man

availeth much.”  James 5:16

“Pray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give thanks:

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus

concerning you.

19 Quench not the Spirit.”1 Thessalonians 5:17-19

“For God is my witness,

whom I serve with my spirit

in the gospel of his Son,

that without ceasing

I make mention of you always

in my prayers;” Romans 1:9

“I thank God,

whom I serve from my forefathers

with pure conscience,

that without ceasing

I have remembrance of thee

in my prayers night and day;”   2 Timothy 1:3

May you have a time with God as you consider what prayer means to you, and how God would have you pursue prayer?

Amen and Amen!!!