Heart of Prayer
The Sovereignty of God | A Study Through the Book of Daniel • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsWhen it seems that God is not hearing our prayers, we should pray harder and rest in his Sovereignty.
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction |
Daniel, at the age of fifteen, made a commitment to God to remain faithful to Him alone.
8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.
Now, at the age of eighty-five, seventy years later, he continues to live that life of commitment and faith in the Lord. As he wrestles over His people and their future, he comes to the Lord in prayer. As quoted in the preacher’s commentary…
The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 21: Daniel Scripture Outline
A. W. Tozer once wrote an essay with the penetrating title, “God Tells the Man Who Cares.” He noted:
The Bible was written in tears and to tears it will yield its best treasures. God has nothing to say to the frivolous man. It was to Moses, a trembling man that God spoke on the mount, and that same man later saved the nation when he threw himself before God with the offer to have himself blotted out of God’s book for Israel’s sake. Daniel’s long season of fasting and prayer brought Gabriel from heaven to tell him the secret of the centuries. When the beloved John wept much because no one could be found worthy to open the seven-sealed book, one of the elders comforted him with the joyous news that the Lion of the tribe of Judah had prevailed.
This was one of the principles that governed Daniel’s relationship to God.
Are you one that cares? Are you interceding for the people of God? Are you interceding for CBC?
Focus Passage | Daniel 10:1-3
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and it concerned great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision. 2 In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. 3 I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed.
Outline |
A Man Who Knew (v. 1)
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and it concerned great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision.
Daniel was a man who knew…
Daniel was a man who knew God’s people
Daniel was a man who knew the condition of God’s people
Daniel was a man who knew a war was coming - ‘…it concerned great conflict…’
Daniel, in a time of prayer, was given a vision, a message from God. As the people of God were allowed to go to Palestine and begin the rebuilding of the temple, Daniel remained in Babylon. God had called Cyrus to let His people go and rebuilt the temple.
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying: 2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to rebuild for Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And every survivor, at whatever place he may live, the people of that place are to support him with silver and gold, with equipment and cattle, together with a voluntary offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’ ”
Daniel, being Daniel, knows that the Syrians had brought conflict to the people of God and tried to hinder the process. Daniel, does as Daniel, and goes to the Lord in prayer. While in prayer, God reveals to Daniel one of three visions within the book of Daniel, a message was revealed to Daniel. Daniel knew this message was from God and knew it was true, and the message was true. The Hebrew word, ‘emeth’ translated ‘true’ within our text, gives the idea of ‘stability’, ‘established’, ‘faithful’, ‘right’, a ‘sure’ thing. Daniel knew that he could trust the vision, but he also understood the vision, he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision.
Daniel knew this vision was about a war to come, a great war, it concerned great conflict. Whether this war is a physical war or a spiritual war, it was going to be war. Brothers and sisters, may we take to heart we are at war every day of every week, of every month, of every year. We are at war. The war we face is a spiritual war. This spiritual war is fleshed out within the physical realm, but our war is not physical, it is spiritual.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Daniel knew this to be true then as it is now. As God showed Daniel what was going to take place in the future, Daniel broke. For Daniel was…
A Man Who Cared (v. 2)
2 In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks.
Daniel was a man who cared for God’s people
Daniel was a man who cared whole being
Daniel was a man who cared enough to mourn
Daniel, who received this vision of war to come, was broke over this vision. The Bible records that Daniel mourned over this vision for God’s people, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks (21 days). Daniel’s mourning would not make sense to most. This time was to be a time of celebration. It was the time of the passover. The people of God had been given permission to rebuild the temple. The people of God had an opportunity to return to Jerusalem. Yet, in this time of what should be celebration, Daniel mourned. Why?
Could it be because of the small number that would return to Jerusalem? Could it be that those who could not praise God within Babylon had lost all interest in traveling to Jerusalem to praise Him there? Could it be that he knew of the strong opposition that was there and awaiting them? Could it be that he knew the people of God were easily discouraged? It would sound to me that Daniel was preaching the local Southern Baptist Church of Babylon. He was preaching to a group of content, stuck in their ways, discouraged people.
However, rather than face this spiritual situation being fleshed out in the physical realm, Daniel mourned. Daniel sacrificially cared for his people. He mourned over them for twenty-one straight days. In the Hebrew, the word for mourned, gives the idea of consistent, unending mourning.
As I was preparing for this message, I was reminded of Jesus’ response when He looked over the people of Jerusalem and His great care for them…
36 Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd.
Do you care? Do I care? Do we care? If so, we would be in genuine mourning over the condition of God’s people in the present time. We would be in mourning over the war that surrounds us daily. If we genuinely cared, we would be a like Daniel. We would be…
A Man Who Prayed (v. 3)
3 I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed.
Daniel was a man who prayed
Daniel remained in Babylon, under conviction of the Holy Spirit, and others went forward to rebuild the temple and faced discouragement, opposition, and war. As stated in the Preacher’s Commentary…
What these leaders needed most (as Moses had done before) was someone who would engage in the hidden but strategic work of prayer for the defense and advance of the kingdom of God. Sinclair B. Ferguson and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Daniel, vol. 21, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1988), 191.
The greatest need for the church today and her leadership is prayer. Rather than gripe, complain, or moan about leadership, pray for them. We need prayer warriors in the house of God. A place that truly had been called by God to be a house of prayer. Prayer should be a daily discipline of all of our lives.
Daniel was a man who sacrificed for God’s move
Daniel not only prayed, but he was willing to sacrifice his physical comfort to achieve spiritual success. We find in the Scripture that Daniel writes, I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth. Daniel did what most fail to do, fasted. He was willing to give up on pleasures to see God move. Are we willing to do that? This was a not a full fast. He just did not eat the good stuff, but stayed with bread and water.
He did not worry about his outer appearance either. As he dealt with internal sacrifice, he also dealt with external sacrifice, nor did I use any ointment. Daniel sacrificed to see God move. Are we willing to do the same? God calls us to be a people of sacrifice. We should all be willing to sacrifice for God’s move in our personal lives and our corporate lives. Are we willing to sacrifice? Are we willing to pray? Are we willing to pay?
Conclusion |
The church of God needs people to care. The church of God needs people to pray. The church of God needs people to stand in the gap and pray for God’s people to move. No matter your age, everyone can pray. Everyone of us can pray, stand in the gap, and sacrifice for God’s kingdom and the furtherance of His word. Do you care? Do you pray? Do you sacrifice for God?