Crumbs 73

 

This contains some thoughts on Daniel 9 : 1-19

Crumbs from the Master ‘s Table 73

Daniel at Prayer

Scripture Daniel 9:17-19 New International Version 17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

Crumbs In this prayer lie the fundamentals of praying These same principles lie in the New Testament and apply in the 21^st century.

The Scriptures had inspired Daniel to pray. The context is poignant. A new king is sorting a new regime. Daniel has received a vision of the ram and the goat. Well may Daniel pray. Our prayers could be interwoven with our Bible reading

He comes to God in prayer on the basis that God will keep His word (verse4), His essential righteousness. (verse7) and God’s great mercy (verse18) . He also points out that God has saved His people in the past (verse15). All these still apply today in Christ’s work at the cross. Daniel points out that God’s name, His reputation depends on the condition of His people.

A part of this prayer is confession. Daniel is a good man but here he is identifying with a deeply sinful people. There are three strands to this vicarious confession , disobedience to the law (verse5), a failure to listen to prophets (verse6) and a failure to seek favour of the Lord(verse13).

Where it comes to petition Daniel simply lays the various aspects of the situation before God. He does not tell God what to do. There is an awareness that the shame and disaster borne by the people are the result of their sin. The one clear request in this prayer goes to the core of the problem. “Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! “ (verse19)

Questions1. How may we use the Scriptures to guide our prayers ? 2. How can this prayer guide us in our prayers for our world ?

3. What do we learn for our approach to God from this passage ?