Daniel 9:1-19 Daniel Prays
Daniel has been reading the writings of the prophet Jeremiah. He KNOWS that the years of captivity are near an end. Daniel prays for his people; for mercy and forgiveness.
I’m checking out a timeline of Daniel’s life and I notice that Darius only rules for about two years. During that first year with Darius, Daniel burns back to the writings of Jeremiah. In those writings, Daniel finds the passage where God tells Jeremiah that their captivity will be 70 years. Daniel does the math and gets excited AND concerned.
Daniel is excited because the time is nearly over! He is excited to see the end coming. But he also recognizes that there might be a problem. Are the people ready? Have they turned their lives around and begun following God? God told them that their captivity would last 70 years but He also included that they would return from captivity serving Him. Daniel wants to MAKE CERTAIN they are ready. The BEST way he knows to do this is through prayer.
Daniel starts his prayer by acknowledging God and a few of His attributes. These attributes are the ones most important for the prayer Daniel is bringing. God is great and AWESOME. Daniel is in not simply flattering God but TRULY believes this. There is NONE greater. Then Daniel gets to the core principle he bases His prayer on. Gpd KEEPS covenant and is steadfast in His love.
In ALL that Israel put God through, He NEVER broke covenant with them. And He NEVER stopped loving them. Daniel notes here too that God’s steadfast love was for “those who love Him and keep His commandments” (verse 4b). Daniel KNOWS that Israel has fallen short in this area.
“We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from Your commandments and rules” (verse 5). Daniel was not about to try and convince God that his people were being unjustly punished. He KNEW they had failed God.
Daniel is praying for a new beginning; for forgiveness and mercy from God. He is ashamed at his peoples’ behavior towards God. And he KNOWS that it has NOT been completely corrected, even “as at this day” (verse 7b). He knows they haven’t earned another chance, but trusts God’s mercy and forgiveness to grant them another.
Daniel freely admits that this punishment suffered by Israel was CLEARLY spelled out from the beginning. “And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against Him” (verse 11b). Daniel also accepts this punishment that Israel has suffered as another proof that God MEANS WHAT HE SAYS. God warned them. They didn’t listen. He brought about EXACTLY what He had said. And NO other god had EVER fulfilled anything like this with those who ‘served’ them.
NO OTHER god had the power or ability to act; either to punish or reward. Or to forgive and show mercy.
Now Daniel asks God if He is finished with His wrath and JUSTIFIABLE anger against a sinful people. He is praying it is so. And if it is so, please restore the people. NOT because they have miraculously learned their lesson and changed, or even that they somehow deserve it. But to PROVE TO ALL that EVERY WORD He says is true! “For Your own sake, O Lord, make Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary” (verse 17b). “For we do not present our pleas before You because of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for Your own sake, O my God, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name” (verses 18b-19).
“Your time that You prescribed has come to an end. Let the nations KNOW Your faithfulness and restore You people as YOU said You would. NOT because we deserve it, but because YOUR word is TRUE and TRUSTWORTHY. I don’t even know for certain that we have learned our lesson well, but we TRUST You and that trust will keep us learning.”
If God had decided to leave the people in bondage longer, His word would have lost ALL its meaning. I think that maybe Daniel’s prayer was also for his people; that they would indeed have learned from this and be forever changed.
That’s one of the hardest parts about asking God for forgiveness. It is also the most important part when asking. God’s forgiveness is not a ‘revolving door’ that we keep spinning around in for eternity. It is a place to TRULY start over with FULL intentions to NOT go back to that same sin. If you plan to go right back and do it again, there is NO repentance so there will be NO forgiveness. Only when we truly desire to change will God grant His forgiveness and help us begin again.
Yes, we may wind up falling back into the SAME sin, but as long as your heart’s desire is to walk away permanently, God still honors that desire. If you had no intention of walking away, then He will leave you where you are at until you complete the lessons that will finally bring you to the place where your TRULY ARE ready.
Father God, I know I have come to You for forgiveness and STILL wanted to hold onto the very thing I was asking forgiveness for. You grew me to the place where I could honestly say my heart’s DESIRE was to lay them down and NEVER pick them up again. Keep my heart strong in those areas Father. And strengthen me in the areas where I still keep stepping into sin. I want to please You in ALL I do! Not for my name’s sake but for YOURS.
