Daniels Prayer

about a year later

the Mede’s have come in

Daniel, has now:

Seen Babylon over through Judah

interpreted King Neb’s dream

Seen Medo-Persia over through Babylon

had 2 visions of his own

At roughly the same time, another prophet was active

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet

Jeremiah also wrote during the captivity

Daniel knew of Jeremiah and even had copies of his writing

In one passage, Jeremiah prophesied that the captivity would last for 70 years Jeremiah 25:11-12

Jeremiah 25:11–12 ESV

11 This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste.

Jeremiah 29:10 ESV

10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.

No doubt, to Daniel this passage was a blessing and encouragement

Daniel knew the times and knew that he was within the last few years of this 70 year period

It’s worth noting here that there is some debate about the time of the 70 years

First there is debate about the beginning of the 70 years.

Jerusalem was besieged twice

once when Daniel was carried away and when Babylon took over rule and a few year later destroyed the Temple

This raises the question, which date marks the start of the 70 years?

Well, in both instances, roughly 70 years later would correlate with either the decree to rebuild the city given to Nehemiah or to the completion of the Temple

In both instances, one thing we see is that it was not an exact 70 year period and instead that 70 is a round number.

Scripture Led Daniel to Prayer

As Daniel read this passage, and knew the days were coming close, his response was to pray

Daniel had already shown unwavering faith in the Lord, so this raises the question, “what about this prophecy would lead Daniel to prayer?”

Daniels prayer was not a prayer made out of desire for deliverance or to receive anything, but a prayer built on the fact that God was going to deliver!

Prayer is not our petition to change God’s will, but our way to recognize God’s sovereignty in the midst of our needs.

This isn’t to say we should not ask for God to respond, but that we should always be looking for God’s will to be revealed and our will to be changed.

Sometimes I will hear people say, if our prayers do not change the future, then why pray, to which I believe Iain Duguid puts it best:

Daniel Prayer and God’s Word

To the question “If God is a sovereign God, why should you pray?” Daniel would have responded “It is because God is a sovereign God that I pray.”

We do not pray because God will change His mind, but because God’s sovereign will is better than any alternative we would desire

Daniel Prayer and God’s Word

Daniel didn’t turn to prayer because he thought that the prophecy of the seventy years might somehow fail or be delayed if he didn’t do so. Rather, it was because he was confident that his sovereign God would do exactly what he had promised to do that he poured out his heart to him in fervent prayer.

We know prayer is valuable

We know prayer is effective

We know prayer is powerful

James 5:16 ESV

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Prayer is working

As we look at prayer, we should see the model of Daniel, reading scripture leads to prayer

As Daniel Henderson puts it, “Scripture feed, spirit lead”

reading of scripture should not simply be a consumption of knowledge, but beginning point of communication

Both scripture without prayer and prayer without scripture are like a bike with 1 wheel, yes, maybe people someone in here can ride on one wheel, but they work better with two

Scripture should lead us to prayer,

and prayer should be guided by scripture

The Substance of Daniels Prayer

After reading about the restoration of Israel, Daniel “Turns his face to the Lord, seeking Him in prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes”

This gives us a glimpse to the substance of Daniels Prayer

Before recording the prayer, Daniel tells us of the posture in which this prayer is prayed.

“turns his face to the Lord” implies a direct connection to the Lord in this time of prayer

It’s like eye contact

As a child looks to Dad after being hurt

“Seeking Him” shows a desire for closeness

“prayer and pleas for mercy” shows a desperate need

Fasting, sackcloth and ashes shows morning and repentance

Oh if only I prayers were like this prayer

There are three main parts to this prayer

A Prayer of Invocation

Invocation is to acknowledge the character of God

The greatness of God (4)

The great and awesome God

The faithfulness of God(4)

who keeps his covenants, love and commandments

Verses 5-10 goes on to contrast God with man

His righteousness and mercy is contrasted with all of Israel’s sin

As one commentator put it, if we forget God’s greatness, then our prayers will be too small, but also if we forget God’s grace our prayers will also be too small

It is God’s greatness that gives us the confidence that God can provide all we can ask for

Ephesians 3:20 “20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”

But it is also God’s grace and mercy that give us the confidence that He will answer

It reminds us that no matter how broken we are, God will not abandon His people

In verse 11, Daniels prayer advances to stage 2

A Prayer of Confession

Daniel now confesses the sins of Israel

Starting by stating that “all Israel” has sinned, worshiped false Gods and disobeyed

This phrase “all Israel” is important because it includes Daniel

We often look at Daniel and think, what a great example, there’s no sin in His life

But in reality He was just as sinful as you and I and he included himself in this confession

No doubt, especially in an election year, many of us are praying for our nation

We may even confess the sins of our nation and our leaders

We may ask forgiveness for the babies being killed, or the glorification of perverse lifestyles

We may even refer to these sins as the sins of Washington, or even confess the sins of the President

But how often do we confess include ourselves in the sins of America?

I know, you may say “But I always vote anti-abortion” so I’m doing my part, but can any of us sit her and saw we are without sin? No.

Daniels example of “all Israel” ought to be an example to us.

We should be praying “All America”, “All Christians”, “All churches”, “all your people” and we need to recognize that “all” includes me and you.

Daniel then goes on to confess that what has happened to Israel is not God’s fault, but Israel’s fault. v11

They had broken the covenant put into place on Mt Ebal and Mt Gerizim

It’s like a child coming to recognize that the punishment they are currently going through is not because mom and dad are mean, but because they had disobeyed and deserve the punishment

With that confession, Daniel then turns to…

A Prayer of Petition

Starting in verse 16 Daniel finally get’s to what he is asking for

His request is that, in accordance to God’s righteousness that the wrath will turn away from Jerusalem

But he does’t just ask for the captivity to end

He again admits the fault is on Israel, not God

“Because of our sins”, iniquities of our fathers

In 17 he cries out for mercy

In verse 18 he cries out to be heard

and in verse 19 for forgiveness

A Prayer for God’s Glory

Yes, Daniel was praying for something he desired

but that was not his motivating factor

Daniel in verse 16 he mentions the desolation they have endured and the way it has been seen by the nations around them

It’s as if to say, this nation that was delivered in such a miraculous way during the acts of the passover and the red sea, is now a laughing stock

The nation whose God once struck fear in the hearts of those around them, now is being mocked

In verse 17, he shows his real desire

“For your own sake”

This isn’t for Daniel, or the people Israel that this prayer is going up, it’s for the Glory of the God of Heaven

He reminds God that Jerusalem is the city called by His name

and in verse 19 he again points that it is God’s glory that will be shown though His mercy

and that Israel are the people called by God’s name

How To Pray For Our Nation

Acknowledge God’s Greatness and Mercy

Confess Our Sins (including yours)

Make Godly Requests

Seek His Glory

Some Questions:

When is the last time you fasted?

When you confess the sins of our nation, do you ever feel you’re better than Washington?

When you make requests, is it for your candidate, or against the other candidate or is it for God’s will regardless of who wins?

Do you pray more for political outcomes or economic blessings for our country than you do for revival?

Do you find yourself praying more for the physical healing of people than you do their salvation?