Preparing to Pray

O. T. #2005  "Preparing to Pray"

August 18, 2021

Daniel 9

LET IT GLOW

Some 14 years had passed since chapter 8 (the visions of the 6 kingdoms) occurred. We read where Gabriel explained what Daniel had seen as prophecies from God.

Now when Daniel established the "when" he wrote this- Darius was King Cyrus of Persia during his first year reigning as king. (539 BC) Babylon had been conquered by him. Daniel was studying the Old Testament scrolls and focused on the years prophesied for the Jew's captivity in Jeremiah 25:11. They would be in exile for 70 years.

According to 2 Chronicles 36:21, the Lord stirred in Cyrus' heart to build God a house in Jerusalem. It came after the land of Israel had its Sabbath rests for 70 years that had been ignored by the Jews. (MacArthur)

Leviticus 25:4 states, But in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

 

Daniel knew the end of those 70 years was approaching, and God might allow His people to return to Israel. What did Daniel do? 

What would we do?

 

LET IT GROW

 Verse 3 tells us he prayed to his God, and I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth, and ashes.

This is not the first time we read of Daniel turning to God in prayer. In 2:17-18, Daniel and his three friends prayed for God to reveal the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Then in 6:10, we learned that prayer was a regular part of Daniel's life.

Now we can enter this man's private world and hear the content of one of his talks with God. How did Daniel prepare himself for serious prayer?

Swindoll gives us 5 important ingredients of this prophet's prayer time:

1. Concentration. Daniel focused his mind and energy on seeking God through prayer. He didn't permit the pressures of the day to divert his attention from the Lord.
2. Supplication. It means grace, favor, entreaty, pleadings. Daniel implored his Heavenly Master to hear his requests and fill them according to the promises in Scripture.
3. Fasting. is setting aside the time-consuming task of meal preparation in order to concentrate on the Lord Himself, not to gain God's attention or to impress Him.
4. Humility. Daniel was overtly expressing both his deep sorrow for the Israelites' sin and their total dependence on God for forgiveness and restoration by putting on sackcloth, tearing the garments, and scattering ashes over the head. (2 Samuel 13:19)
5. Honesty. Daniel did not try to conceal anything from the all-knowing Lord. He confessed his and his peoples' wrongdoing, calling on god to show compassion on them and rescue them from their plight.

Daniel prepared himself for prayer because he was a man of prayer. Do others recognize us as a person of prayer, and our prayers are answered?

Are we burdened and heavy hearted about something? Take it to the Lord in prayer.

 

LET IT GROW

 

LET IT GO