“Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplicaitons, and causeThy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.” Daniel 9:17
Prayer is a wonderful thing, not only because of the concept of it, but because of the realization of its purpose. Ultimately, prayer is the call of God for the believer to enter into a very real, and specific communion and fellowship with God. It is the means by which God has chosen for man to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” It is also the means by which faith is expressed, with the realization of Jesus’ words, “Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (Jn. 11:40) Prayer is that blessed gift of God by which His purposes, and the revelation of His person, are revealed to the hearts and minds of those who seek Him. So, why is it specifically of great importance to study the prayers of men and women of the Bible? It is in discovering the context of their praying, the condition of their hearts, the specific content of their prayers and the motives for those prayers, that we understand the pattern by which all believers can seek the same God, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and truly pray by the Spirit.
In the case of Daniel, we find him a “captive” in Babylon. He is a man beloved of God, one who earnestly seeks God. He is also a man who is jealous for the glory of God, driven to seek the realization of the glory of God, in a foreign land, and yet far away. The basis for his prayer in the 9th chapter of his book is the discovery of a promise of God that he read in the book of Jeremiah concerning a specific end to the period of the deportation of Israel to Babylon. It is there that a basis for seeking God with assurance is laid, one that projects hope in the return of the people to Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the city, the temple, and its walls. But none of this is possible until the period of seventy years is realized. Thus, it is on the basis of the revealed will of God that Daniel sets himself to seek God, His mercy, and His intervention, a massive intervention from a human standpoint, to bring the people back to the land. How impossible is this?
We discover something of this impossibility by what Daniel writes, describing Jerusalem during this period. It was a period of “…seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” Later in his prayer, he would mention, “…our desolations,” and the “sanctuary that is desolate.” The circumstances were dire, as there was no apparent “authority” whereby these desolations could be faced and addressed. The resources needed to rebuild the city, temple, and walls, were available. That which stood in the way of God intervening in a miraculous way was the heart and condition of the people. Daniel would address this issue foremost in his prayer, as he would seek the Lord, declaring: “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled.” (v.5) Daniel’s prayer is an honest one, declaring the very reason for which the deportation had occured. Daniel does not avoid the sin, but neither does he avoid the reality and truth of the mercy and greatness of God, a God who can forgive, cleanse, restore, and renew. And so, 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) Daniel’s prayer was heard, and Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the restoration was accomplished. Why? It was because Daniel saw an end to the period of judgment set by God. He also knew that on the other side of judgment was a faithful, gracious, and merciful God who desired again to bless His people, manifesting His glory.
Dear Father, Teach us to pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.