The Moment You Began Praying

The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision. [Daniel 9.23] 

I suppose we don't really have many accounts of Daniel receiving accolades for his prayer life. In fact, his persistence in prayer got him thrown into a lion's den. But Daniel remained faithful. He continued to pray. And, today's One Year Chronological Bible reading reveals something else: Daniel was a humble student of God's Word:

It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the LORD, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. So I turned to the LORD God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes. [Daniel 9.1-3]

God's Word was the inspiration behind Daniel's prayer. And, what a prayer it was! Daniel 9.4-19 provides an excellent model for our prayers today.

Daniel began with humble confession.

I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O LORD, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land. [Daniel 9.4-6]

Daniel continued with humble acknowledgement that his and his people's suffering was the direct result of their sin and, that it was well-deserved.

“Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. O LORD, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. We have not obeyed the LORD our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice. “So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin. You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the LORD our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. Therefore, the LORD has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The LORD our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him. [Daniel 9.7-14] 

Then, Daniel took humility to a level most of us today do not understand (let alone, practice). Daniel appealed to God's mercy rather than pointing out that he had just repented.

“O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors. “O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary. “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy. [Daniel 9.15-18]

And finally, in confidence of God's mercy and the fact that Daniel and God's people bore His name, Daniel specifically asked God to hear, to forgive, to listen and act, and, not delay.

“O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.” [Daniel 9.19] 

Let's dig deeper though, shall we?

As a student of God's Word, Daniel pointed out that Jeremiah's writings led to his prayer. If we miss what is said here, the rest of Daniel's prayer carries only abstract religious meaning and nothing concrete relative to our relationship with God today. 

If Jeremiah's writings are summarized, we find these three facts valid and true: 1) God's people had turned away from God to idols, 2) God's people were suffering all manner of curses resultant to their idolatry, and 3) God's people were called to repentance with the promise of restoration.

Daniel's humble confession above was a confession of idolatry. Nothing more than the reference to Jeremiah's writings confirms this fact. A deceived, idolatrous heart however will never see this.

Daniel's humble acknowledgement above was an acknowledgement that God's people's suffering was not random, but rather the well-deserved and just direct result of idolatry. Again, the reference to Jeremiah's writings confirms this. But again, a deceived, idolatrous heart however will never see this.

Daniel's humble appeal to God's mercy was an appeal of reliance upon the character of God, not reliance upon the repentant heart of man. Without doubt, Daniel understood the importance of this request because of Jeremiah's writings:

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? [Jeremiah 17.9]

It was this kind of humble prayer that warranted Gabriel's visit and reassuring words:

The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision. [Daniel 9.23]  

We can be sure that our humble confession, our humble acknowledgement that curses are directly resultant to idolatry, and our humble appeal to God's mercy instead of our own acts of repentance, will insure that our prayers are heard the moment we begin praying them. We can be sure that in this humble prayer, God issues directives immediately on our behalf. Really, all we have to do is humble ourselves before God. Daniel's prayer is the perfect outline for what that involves...

Father, may we, like Daniel, be found studying Your word, repenting for our idolatry (that leads to all manner of sin), acknowledging that curses on our lives are justified (signaling the need for repentance - not further idolatry), and understanding, in complete humility, that our hope rests entirely in Your mercy and not our 'effective repentance,' for our lives to reflect the distinction of being Your people. May we see how every bit of this points us to Jesus Who demanded that we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. So be it.