The Daniel Prayer (3)
Notes
Transcript
Prevailing in Prayer
Prevailing in Prayer
This morning we are going to be back in the Book of Daniel looking at the Daniel Prayer.
I told ya’ll we were gong to really dig deep into how Daniel prayed and wanted to look at several different areas of that prayer.
We seen a couple weeks ago how Daniel prepared to pray and I hope that you really took that to heart and realized that we really need to make preparation to pray.
We not going to go back over everything I just wanted to remind you what we learned about preparing to pray.
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
We saw where Daniel had a prepared place to pray and that was his house in his chamber.
A prepared Time to pray, Which his was 3 times a day.
A prepared atmosphere. His windows was open towards Jerusalem.
and a prepared attitude to pray. That was on his knees bowing his heart before God.
Then last week we looked at Daniel’s prompting in prayer.
Remember prompting in prayer is being compelled to pray. Once again I know we are to pray without ceasing and we are to do that all day long through out our day.
But we are talking about a Daniel prayer and that is a time, a place, an atmosphere and an attitude of prayer.
We saw where Daniel was having many issues in his life personally, his country Jerusalem had been attacked for the 3rd time and the Babylonians burned the city, killed a bunch of his people and took the rest captive.
So that is what prompted Daniel to pray this prayer we are calling the Daniel Prayer.
So we have seen how Daniel prepared to pray and how Daniel was prompted and compelled to pray because of the circumstances.
This morning I want us to look at Daniels prevailing in prayer.
What does prevailing mean ? To continue in, effectual, fervent, to be effective.
There are many different stories in the bible where many prayed in a prevailing manner until God answers
We have to be consistant in our prayers. Have you ever thought about how many answers you havent recieved from God in prayer because you just prayed one time and quit.
We need to pray through.
I want us to look back at Daniels prayer in Daniel 9.
I want us to look at how Daniel’s prayer was answered and how God answered it.
There were 3 ways that God answered. He answered immediately, ultimately and specifically.
Daniel 9:20 (KJV 1900)
And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God;
Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
Look here in V-22 while Daniel was praying Gabriel told him I came to give you skill and understanding.
What that means is that we don’t have to know everything and understand everything before we pray.
While we are praying the Holy Spirit can give us that understanding then.
Example is Abraham in Gen. 18:23-33 when he was praying for Sodom
Abraham prayed and asked God if there is 50 righteous there will you save Sodom and the Lord said yes.
Then 40, then 30, then 20 then 10 and as he was praying he was focusing on exactly what God was wanting him to ask for.
In the end we know that Sodom was not saved because there wasn’t even 10 righteous there.
But the real prayer from Abraham’s heart was his family that lived there and his family was saved because of his praying effectively and continuously.
So we need to prevail in prayer don’t hesitate because you may not know exactly what to pray . Just prevail in prayer and God will make known the desires of his heart.
So what we see here is that because of Daniel’s preparation, his prompting and his prevailing in prayer this prayer was answered immediately.
Now we do know the majority of the time our prayers are not answered at that moment.
But I truly believe if we pray in the manner Daniel is praying and what we learn from this prayer. There is a great chance that God will hear and answer.
Let’s see the second way God answered and that was ultimately. Daniel 9:21
Daniel 9:21 (KJV 1900)
Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. (Sacrifice)
Notice this prayer was answered about the time of the evening sacrifice.
There hadn’t been an evening sacrifice for 45 years.
That is when Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple was destroyed so there was no more place to sacrifice.
Daniel himself hadn’t even seen a sacrifice for 67 years as long as he had been in captivity.
Daniel was praying for his people that they would be set free. He was praying for his nation.
The message that God sent Daniel through the angel Gabriel was ultimately that prayer would be answered many years from now.
That evening sacrifice will be when the Lamb of God would die on the cross and shed his blood to make atonement for our sins.
That is when the captives will be set free. When they place their faith in that shed blood of Jesus Christ then they would be saved and set free.
The ultimate answer to the Daniel Prayer.
When we pray for our nation, for revival, for a spiritual awakening even the prayers you are praying for the lost.
That ultimate answer is not more education, more money, stronger military, a different religion.
The answer is Jesus.
Daniel’s prayer was answered immediately, he was then given the ultimate answer and then it was answered specifically.
How many of you pray specifically?
Some people are afraid to ask God for something specific maybe it is because you are afraid God want answer then it would hurt your faith.
God answers prayers specifically many times we will never know if we don’t ask.
The Bible shares the story of Hannah, who prayed specifically for a son. In 1 Samuel 1, her heartfelt prayers were not vague; she requested a male child, promising to dedicate him to the Lord. Our requests matter to God; when we are specific, we show our faith in His ability to meet our needs.
And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head.
1 Samuel 1:20 (KJV 1900)
Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord.
There is stories over and over in the bible where specific prayers were answered.
In my life specific prayers have been answered I am sure in your specific prayers have been answered.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
God answered Daniel’s prayer specifically and that answer is recorded in Ezra 1:1.
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
So many of the captives were set free. They left they went back that 800 miles west to rebuild the temple.
I wonder if they ever looked back did they ever know that this old man named Daniel who had dressed himself in ashes and sackcloth had been prevailing for them in prayer.
I don’t see where they did. But by one man preparing to pray, being prompted to pray for his nation and his people and prevailing in prayer. It moved heaven and nations and peoples lives were changed.
Will you pray as Daniel prayed. Pray with out giving up , pray expecting to hear an answer from God.
God will answer. It may not be exactly what you want. But we will never know until we pray like Daniel prayed.
