PRAY LIKE DANIEL

Introduction

-We’re continuing to look at Daniel’s prayer. Last week I emphasized the importance of allowing Scripture to guide what it is that we pray. I want to continue to look at the pray and see certain aspects of Daniel’s prayer with the encouragement that we would pick up on several of the same habits. First, I want to share a story that I read several years ago.

In a small apartment in Washington, D.C., a group of young Christians took up a life of radical, intercessory prayer. Each person in the group strategically prayed in shifts six days a week for eight hours each day. Then, in two-hour shifts, groups of six to ten gathered directly on the steps of the Supreme Court to pray silently with red duct tape covering their mouths. The word "LIFE" is scrawled across the tape in black marker.

One of the group members was Matt Lockett. A suburban Christian for most of his life, Lockett used to think of prayer like most of us do. "I knew it was something I was supposed to do," he said. "But for me, it was a nagging responsibility." In September of 2004, Matt had a vivid dream that changed everything. In it, he saw God bring about an end to abortion in America through day and night prayer.

"My whole life and mental understanding changed after that," he said. Lockett and his family sold their home in Denver, Colorado, and moved to the nation's capital to join a budding prayer movement called The Cause. On the opening day of the Supreme Court session in October of 2004, the members of The Cause gathered on the court steps, each person's mouth covered with a red piece of duct tape.

From that point on, the members of The Cause had lived a life centered around prayer as a dynamic action rather than a passive event. "God has called us to put feet to our prayers," Lockett said. "My understanding of prayer is this: Stop living the American dream and live God's dream.”

-Now, think about this. They started that in 2004, but it wasn’t until 2022 that Roe v. Wade was overturned and who knows how much longer it will be until abortion has ended. This is a good reminder that answers to prayer might not come for decades. But just because we might not get answers to prayer immediately doesn’t mean that there aren’t things we can do to our prayers and in our prayers that will align us with God and make our prayers more effective. I want to look at what Daniel prayed and how Daniel prayed to find some principles we can follow for our own prayer life.

Daniel 9:1–19 ESV

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

1) Our disposition in prayer

-Daniel did not just approach God with just any sort of heart temperament. Daniel did not approach God in prayer nonchalantly or casually. We can see his heart disposition with what accompanied him in his prayer, specifically as it is described for us in v. 3.

-First, we notice it says that Daniel was seeking God in prayer. There was a seeking—some versions might say that Daniel set his face toward God. Daniel knew that there was only one place to turn, only one person could help him, only one person to give him answers and direction. He did not seek the face of Cyrus or Darius or any politician. Daniel sought after God. Daniel knew only God had the answers that were needed for the time that he was in.

-But then you also notice that it says that Daniel accompanied the prayer with fasting. Fasting is more than a diet for Christians. The Jews would fast before many things: (1) sign of great sorrow; (2) supplement prayer at times of critical decisions; (3) given time of crisis. Fasting again reminds us that our help is not found in this world or the things of this world or the people of this world. Our help and strength come from God alone. For Daniel, it was a time of sorrow and crisis as he realized the 70 years prophesied by Jeremiah were up and Daniel was not sure what it meant for his people.

-But then we also notice that it says the prayer and seeking and fasting were accompanied by sackcloth and ashes. In the ancient near east the peoples would wear sackcloth and ashes during times of mourning as well as during times of repentance. Daniel was mourning for his people and repenting of his and their sins, but it is also a sign of humility. Daniel was humbling himself before the Lord. I think too many people approach God all puffed up with a grand sense of self-importance instead of being broken by their weakness and sin.

-But there is something I found interesting about this verse. Do any of these descriptions of Daniel’s heart disposition sound familiar to you? Is there anywhere else where God’s people are called to take on a similar temperament? It sounds exactly like:

2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

-Daniel knew the Jewish Scriptures and he knew what Solomon called the people of Israel to do way back when he dedicated the temple. They knew what the right heart orientation was for effective prayer, and this is our same temperament and disposition that we ought to take as well. Another principle that we learn here:

2) Recognize the holiness of God

-Not only do we need to consider ourselves as the ones who are giving the prayer, we need to keep in mind who it is that we are praying to. After Daniel makes sure that his own heart is right before God, he recognizes God for who He is and what He has done. He calls God the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love. It is God to whom belongs righteousness, and thankfully also mercy and forgiveness. It is God to whom all obedience is due.

-With all the works and attributes that Daniel recognized in God, he was acknowledging that there is no one like God. God is so other and holy and different from His creation, this naturally then entails that we treat Him differently and approach Him differently. Daniel didn’t come to God as an equal. It wasn’t just one guy coming to another guy to have some small talk about sports or something. Daniel and Israel were not on the same level playing field with God. Daniel knew and confessed that God is so mighty and awesome, while he and Israel fell so short of that glory and holiness.

-This is the trice-Holy God to whom even the mighty angels bow down and give obeisance. If powerful angels kneel before God’s grandeur and holiness and majesty and dominion, how much more should puny man. This recognition of holiness is very important because only a clear picture of God is going to give us a clear picture of ourselves just as it did with Isaiah who, once in God's presence, recalled how unholy and sinful He was. And because of that recognition, this then led to an other principle of prayer...

3) Confess the sinfulness of self

-In this prayer Daniel didn’t sugarcoat anything. Daniel didn’t give his sin or the sin of his people some cutesy names to make them sound less awful than they truly were. Daniel didn’t try to excuse the actions of himself or his nation. Daniel called things the way they were. He said WE HAVE SINNED AND DONE WRONG AND ACTED WICKEDLY AND REBELLED, TURNING ASIDE FROM YOUR COMMANDMENTS AND RULES. WE HAVE NO LISTENED TO YOUR SERVANTS THE PROPHETS. WE HAVE COMMITTED TREACHERY AGAINST YOU. WE HAVE TRANSGRESSED YOUR LAWS AND TURNED ASIDE, REFUSING TO OBEY YOUR VOICE.

-This is what confession is—getting honest with God. Instead of ignoring sin or justifying sin, there is an agreement that we have rebelled. And because of our rebellion we have brought shame and disgrace upon ourselves. And in this confession, we recognize that God has every right to justly do to us whatever He deems fit. God takes sin seriously, even of His own children. And so, effective prayer means confessing and getting real with God about what we have done and the impact it has had on ourselves and others, not pulling any punches, but just getting real. Agree with God about what you have done, and repent of it (meaning turn in the other direction). If we are going to see a change in our life and our church and our nation, it starts with us confessing our sins instead of going on social media to point out the sins of others. If you want a change, then start it with yourself. But, after such a confession, there is one final principle.

4) Rest in the mercy of God

-Daniel knew the covenants of God and the Word of God, and how God has revealed Himself to be gracious and slow to anger and ready to forgive, and especially the fact that God is faithful to everyone with whom He is in covenant. Daniel knew that God would not give up on His people, and so Daniel prays for healing and favor and mercy and asked God to hear their cries again and bring them back into their land. Let’s reread vv. 16-19 and think of praying this same prayer for yourself and your family and your church and your nation, knowing that God does not look on us as a lost cause.

Daniel 9:16–19 ESV

16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

-Let is be so for us as well.

CONCLUSION

-If we are going to offset the craziness that is going on in our nation and world, it will take concerted prayer on the part of God’s people following the principles found here. I close with a prayer that Pastor Joe Wright gave before the Kansas legislature in 1996. It very much reminds me of Daniel’s prayer and my prayer is that it would encourage us to the same.

We come before You today to ask Your Forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ''Woe to those who call evil good,'' but that's exactly what we have done. We have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that; we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism; We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism; We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle; We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery; We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation; We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare; We have killed our unborn and called it choice; We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable; We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem; We have abused power and called it political savvy; We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition; We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression; We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of this state and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state of Kansas. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your Will. I ask it in the name of your Son, The Living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.