{"id":3568,"date":"2018-07-25T06:00:35","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T10:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anglicanconnection.com\/?p=3568"},"modified":"2018-08-15T19:38:36","modified_gmt":"2018-08-15T23:38:36","slug":"petition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anglicanconnection.com\/petition\/","title":{"rendered":"Petition"},"content":{"rendered":"

In her\u00a0Wall Street Journal<\/em>\u00a0article (May 31, 2018), Peggy Noonan wrote: \u2018I have been thinking about trust. All the polls show and have for some time what you already know: America\u2019s trust in its leaders and institutions has been falling for four decades\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

She went on to observe, \u2018It\u2019s time to see our mighty institutions with their noble facades\u2014the grand marble court houses, the soaring cathedral\u2014for what they are: secretly frail and in constant need of saving.\u2019<\/p>\n

Is there a solution? If so, where do we begin?\u00a0Pray.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How then should we petition God for our leaders, for his people, for the nations and for people in need?\u00a0\u00a0Daniel\u2019s prayer in chapter 9 sets out principles for us.<\/p>\n

The Honor of God\u2019s Name<\/strong>. Following his confession of Israel\u2019s sin (see last week), Daniel petitions God on the basis of God\u2019s mercy. In\u00a09:15<\/span>\u00a0we read:\u00a0And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have a name for yourself,\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Daniel reminded God that his Name was revered because he had brought about the release of his people from slavery in Egypt.\u00a0People knew that you didn\u2019t mess with this God<\/strong>. He did what he said he would do!<\/p>\n

And while Daniel was honest about the sin of God\u2019s people (Lord, we have sinned, we have done wickedly<\/em>), he was bold to pray:\u00a0Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath, we pray, turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain;<\/em>\u2026 (Daniel\u00a09:16<\/span>).<\/p>\n

Daniel didn\u2019t ask God to put aside his\u00a0righteousness\u00a0<\/em>and overlook the faults and failings of Israel. Rather, he asks God to act\u00a0because<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>of his righteousness.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t live under same covenant as God\u2019s ancient people<\/strong>. With the coming of Jesus the Messiah we live under a new covenant grounded in the unchanging character of God.<\/p>\n

In Matthew\u00a016:18<\/span>\u00a0we read that Jesus plans to build his church and in Matthew 28:18-20 we see that this involves drawing people from all nations to himself as Lord. What is more, you and I are caught up in his commission to bring others to know and love him, to honor and serve him.<\/p>\n

This brings us back to the principles of prayer that we find in Daniel 9.<\/p>\n

Consider how he develops his appeal to God in 9:17-19:\u00a0Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, and for your own sake, Lord, let your face shine upon your desolated sanctuary. Incline your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name. We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act and do not delay! For your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people bear your name!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

At the heart of Daniel\u2019s intercession is the glory of God\u2019s name<\/strong>. Daniel 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.<\/p>\n

Daniel wasn\u2019t being presumptuous. He was humble, honest and contrite about his own and Israel\u2019s sin. But this did not prevent him from praying on the basis of God\u2019s character and God\u2019s promises.<\/p>\n

The glorious thing about God which the Bible reveals to us, is that he is gracious and always willing to receive people back on the basis of repentance and a commitment to start afresh. No matter how great our sin, God is willing to forgive us when we turn to him in heartfelt repentance.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Daniel\u2019s prayer challenges us to come to God, not just about the little things that concern us as individuals, but about the big things, namely governments, our loved ones and the salvation of people we know.<\/p>\n

In the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, he told them \u2013 and us \u2013 to pray for the honor of God\u2019s name and for God\u2019s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. These are promises we can take to God in our prayers for our country, our leaders and all our concerns \u2013 great and small.<\/p>\n

Prayer is a precious privilege.<\/strong>\u00a0It brings us into the very presence of the God whose nature is honor-bound always to have mercy. Yet so often our prayer life is dead. Why don\u2019t we pray? God is the perfect father who loves to give.<\/p>\n

Phillips Brooks once commented: \u2018Prayer is not conquering God\u2019s reluctance, but taking hold of God\u2019s willingness\u2019.<\/p>\n

Optional\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u2013 you may want to read Daniel 9:16-19; Luke 11:1-4; Ephesians 3:14-21.<\/p>\n

– – –<\/p>\n

\u00a9 John G. Mason \u2013\u00a0www.anglicanconnection.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In her\u00a0Wall Street Journal\u00a0article (May 31, 2018), Peggy Noonan wrote: \u2018I have been thinking about trust. All the polls show and have for some time what you already know: America\u2019s trust in its leaders and institutions has been falling for four decades\u2026\u2019 She went on to observe, \u2018It\u2019s time to see our mighty institutions with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"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":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nPetition - The Anglican Connection<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/anglicanconnection.com\/petition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Petition - The Anglican Connection\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In her\u00a0Wall Street Journal\u00a0article (May 31, 2018), Peggy Noonan wrote: \u2018I have been thinking about trust. 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