{"id":1438,"date":"2016-09-21T14:20:57","date_gmt":"2016-09-21T18:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anglicanconnection.com\/?p=1438"},"modified":"2016-09-21T14:20:57","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T18:20:57","slug":"daniels-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anglicanconnection.com\/daniels-prayer\/","title":{"rendered":"‘DANIEL’S PRAYER’…"},"content":{"rendered":"

H<\/span>ow often have you asked, \u2018How long, O Lord?\u2019 David asked it in Psalm 13. Daniel asked it when God\u2019s people were in exile.<\/span><\/p>\n

DANIEL’S PRAYER<\/h2>\n

In Daniel 9 we read one of the great prayers of the Bible<\/b>. In fulfillment of the words of prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar had defeated the people of Judea, destroyed its city and its temple, and had taken its people into exile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But Jeremiah had also spoken of the restoration of God\u2019s people<\/b>:\u00a0\u2018Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,\u2019 declares the Lord, \u2018and will bring you back from captivity\u2019<\/i>\u00a0Jeremiah (29:12).<\/span><\/p>\n

Daniel knew these words and was certain God would not forget his promise. But he didn\u2019t just sit around, enjoying life, waiting for God\u2019s promises to come true.\u00a0He prayed for God to act<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

God\u2019s sovereignty doesn\u2019t take away our responsibility to pray. God\u2019s rule is not simply a fatalistic determinism.\u00a0He invites us to partner with him in the implementation of his plans.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Daniel understood this and knew that the secret to addressing concerns and fears in life is found in prayer.\u00a0Confession\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0petition\u00a0<\/b>are two themes that stand out.<\/span><\/p>\n

CONFESSION\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

At the heart of his confession Daniel prays, \u2018O God, we have turned away from your commands and your laws\u2019 (9:5); \u2018we have not listened to your servants the prophets; we have not obeyed the laws you gave\u2019 (9:10); \u2018we have broken your law\u2019 (9:11); \u2018we have not looked for your mercy by turning away from our sins and paying attention to your truth\u2019 (9:13).<\/span><\/p>\n

Significantly,\u00a0Daniel identifies himself with the sin of God\u2019s people<\/b>. It was not just some people or some leaders who had sinned. Rather, all Israel had sinned \u2013 including Daniel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the prayer, Daniel acknowledged the personal relationship that existed between God and the nation.\u00a0A covenant existed between them \u2013 a covenant with commands and laws<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to think of God\u2019s judgment simply falling on the godless and the perpetrators of evil. But\u00a0Daniel\u2019s prayer is primarily for the people of God.\u00a0<\/b>There is a principle here that applies to God\u2019s people today. We need to ask: \u2018Is God pleased with the church?\u2019 Each of us needs to ask: \u2018Am I living as God expects, or am I compromised by the spirit of the age?\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

We cannot truly pray for our church and the success of God\u2019s gospel without first confessing our own sin. It\u2019s a reason we need a prayer of confession when we meet as God\u2019s people.<\/span><\/p>\n

PETITION\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Daniel\u2019s confession turns to petition with:\u00a0Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath, we pray, turn away<\/i>\u2026<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Daniel didn\u2019t ask God to set aside his\u00a0righteousness\u00a0<\/i>and overlook the sins of his people. Instead,\u00a0he asked God to act\u00a0because<\/i>\u00a0of his righteousness<\/b>. Paradoxically this was Israel\u2019s only hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like Moses, Daniel appealed to God on the basis of God\u2019s character:\u00a0Now, therefore,\u2026\u00a0<\/i>Incline your ear, O my God, and hear\u2026 We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies.<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

At the heart of Daniel\u2019s petition is the glory of God\u2019s name<\/b>. He did not hesitate to remind God of what he\u2019d already revealed in his Word and urged him to roll up his sleeves and act.<\/span><\/p>\n

Daniel was not presumptuous.\u00a0<\/b>Rather, he was humble, honest and contrite about his own sin and the sin of God\u2019s people. But this didn\u2019t prevent him from praying on the basis of God\u2019s character and God\u2019s promises.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the center of Daniel\u2019s prayer is confidence that God is a God of mercy.<\/b>\u00a0The glorious and gracious thing about God is that he is always willing to receive people back when they repent and are committed to start afresh with him.<\/span><\/p>\n

The New Testament knows of this type of faith and prayer.\u00a0<\/b>We see it in the faith of four men that brought forgiveness of sin and healing when they lowered their paralyzed friend through a roof.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the coming of Jesus Christ and his commitment to build his church,\u00a0how much more should we\u00a0speak frankly and humbly to God, asking him to honor and glorify his name by acting with mercy towards our sinful world?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Do you regularly ask for God\u2019s forgiveness<\/b>, not just for your own sin, but the sin of others?\u00a0Do you pray that for the sake of God\u2019s name and reputation<\/b>, he will act with mercy, opening the eyes of the blind, awakening them to the truth of his good news?\u00a0God has promised!<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a9 John G. Mason<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ow often have you asked, \u2018How long, O Lord?\u2019 David asked it in Psalm 13. Daniel asked it when God\u2019s people were in exile. DANIEL’S PRAYER In Daniel 9 we read one of the great prayers of the Bible. In fulfillment of the words of prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1439,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-word-on-wednesday"],"yoast_head":"\n'DANIEL'S PRAYER'... - The Anglican Connection<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9 is one of the greatest prayers of the Bible. 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