“Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant, and his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.” Daniel 9:17
The prophets Daniel and Ezekiel were both prophets of the exile. When they wrote their books they were not in Israel, and thus shared the longing, and suffering of the people of Israel in a foreign land. The people had been brought to this point because they refused to “obey the voice of the Lord.” We might think that this is quite a price to pay for what seemingly is a small thing, but we must remember that there is an eternal issue here. The first and foremost dominant consideration is the glory of God, that revelation of God by the Spirit to and through the people, or those upon whom his blessing resides. Israel had been chosen by God, not because of any specific virtue that she possessed, but because of the potential of blessing that she could receive, being a testimony of God to the world. The design and purpose of God’s choice of Israel, and specifically Jerusalem, was that His name and His glory would be associated with the people and the land to such an extent, and manifest way, that the world would come to know and fear this true and living God. However, Israel forsook her calling, turned aside from her purpose, and did not follow the Lord fully. God could not bless her, and accomplish His purposes through her, because she was not willing to trust Him fully, being committed to obey Him completely. God only entrusts the manifestation of His glory to the one, or nation, who will in turn give to Him all the glory, for this is right, since He is God, the giver of every good and perfect gift, the Creator and sole Redeemer of sinful man. It is in this context that both Ezekiel and Daniel prophesied, writing their books. And it will be in their pursuit of God, and the knowledge of His ways, that they will discover that the most fundamental reason for which God will deal with a rebellious individual or nation, will be for the sake of His name. It was Daniel, who in his great prayer in the nineth chapter of his book, wrote concerning his plea to God for His face, and consequent blessing, to again shine on the desolate condition of the sanctuary in Jerusalem, that he would pray earnestly that God would accomplish it “…for the Lord’s sake.” He would continue along this line of thought in his petition by praying, “…for we do not present our supplications before Thee for our “righteousnesses,” but for Thy great mercies.’ (v.18) The central appeal, and motive, of Daniel’s prayer is that the Lord would answer, and work mightily and wonderfully, for the sake and praise of His great name, and the unending, unchanging, but renewing mercies of the Lord which, according to Jeremiah, “…are new every morning.” In concluding his prayer, Daniel again comes to the central reason for which he is praying and offering his supplication to God, with the hope and certainty that God will answer. He prays, “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive, O Lord, hearken and do; defer not for THINE OWN SAKE, O my God: for Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.” (v.19) Herein is the great reason for prayer, that God, in His glory and mercy, will be lifted up in the eyes of all men, that they should worship and serve Him according to the truth of the revelation. God chose Israel, and specifically Jerusalem, to place His name there. The nation and the city were to be the instruments through which He would reveal Himself, His glory to all men. It is primarily for this reason that Ezekiel and Daniel speak, and pray, in this manner. Certainty in prayer is found when the ultimate objective is the hallowing of God’s name. It is then that God answers prayer.
Dear Father, For Thy name’s sake, bless us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.