I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments[.]"

Daniel 9

I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments[.]" Daniel 9:4

I continue my study of Daniel in conjunction with a disciple/small group study with my church's men's wake up call. This morning my focus is Daniel 9:1-19 as I lean on my commentary for this text, which outlines the following divisions:

I. Let Your Prayers Flow from Your Study of the Scriptures (9:1-2): The commentary referring to v1-19 as "one of the most remarkable prayers in the whole Bible," as it includes "(1) corporate confession of sin and (2) recognition of the greatness, awesomeness, righteousness, and holiness of God as expressions of his character."  Daniel intercedes on behalf of a a sinful Israel.  The commentary shares how Daniel prays based on his understanding of God and scripture, including the Pentateuch and Jeremiah, the latter of which Daniel knew of because Jeremiah preceded him.  Daniel specifically refers to Israel's exile of 70 years (v2) which is from Jeremiah 25:1-14 and 29:1-11. The commentary describes how Daniel leans on prophecy from Jeremiah and does the math - "knows the end of God’s judgment of exile on his people is coming[,]" as he was exiled in 605 BC and the date of his writing here is from 538 BC.  The commentary for this division wraps by sharing that "[c]onfidence in the promises of God did not move [Daniel] to complacency. It drove him to action and to his knees. Immersion in Scripture will energize prayer!" As we grow in understanding of scripture, so too will our prayers "become richer and more soundly based on who God is."

II. Let Your Prayers Humbly Take You into the Presence of God (9:3): V3 gives us a model how we are to approach God in humility as the commentary describes Daniel as he "turned to the Lord with a heavy heart, a burden he could hardly bear," and how his prayer is similar to the prayer Jesus prayed to His Father in the garden at Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-44).  The commentary describes this posture of how to approach God in prayer: "[i]t is truly unconscionable that we would ever think to burst into God’s presence in arrogance or pride, in hubris or vainglory. When we know our sins and the sins of our people, we will approach God on our knees and with our faces to the ground. Only then can we turn our faces to the Lord with our prayers and pleas."

III. Let Your Prayers Be Characterized by Honest and Full Confession of Sin (9:4-14): Here the commentary shares how "[p]hrase after phrase comes right out of Scripture. There are allusions to Leviticus (26:40) and Deuteronomy (28:64) and Exodus (34:6) and Psalms (44:14) and Jeremiah (25:11)."  The commentary describes Daniel's humility and his solidarity with Israel in using "we", "us" or "our" more than twenty times when he confesses Israel's sin.  He knows that Israel's punishment is deserved and he does not exclude himself from Israel's predicament but instead bears their burden as he "feels responsible for the people under his care."  At this point in Israel's exile, the people should be driven to their knees in confession and repentance but they are not - except Daniel.  The commentary appropriately quotes Billy Graham when he says "[t]o get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees."

IV. Let Your Prayers Move to Petition and Pleas Grounded in God’s Character (9:15-19): The commentary describes how Daniel moves from confession and repentance to petition and pleas as he intercedes on behalf of Israel. Daniel requests mercy not because Israel is deserving but so that God's can be seen as merciful and glorified in how He keeps His covenant with His people. Prayer is emphasized as the commentary wraps for the text: "we should note the important role prayer played in the past but also in the present. In the past, in the garden of Gethsemane, our Lord was troubled and wept in prayer as he prepared to take on the sins of the world and to bear in his own body the judgment and wrath of God. But now, as Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25 tell us, we have an intercessor in heaven, a great high priest, who pleads our cause before “the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands” (Dan 9:4).

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Jesus, You are great indeed, as Your mercies are great and they are new every morning as You provide not just mercy but also for all things and You are faithful.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your mercy nor how You provide.  My sins are great and they continue...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. v7

I continue to ask in prayer that God turn me into a prayer warrior, particularly because of my role as a father and husband, but also because of my love for Christ and others and a desire to serve.  I have been asking God to help me pray for more needs, more of the time.

This morning, through Jesus' words in John and via John Piper my thoughts on prayer are somewhat redirected - not so much away from my and others' needs - but focus more on spiritual/eternal needs vs physical and earthly needs.

V7 and similar words in v16 challenged me this morning to better understand what Jesus means by telling us that essentially we will get everything we ask for in prayer.  I already knew this was not true in an earthly sense - God is not a vending machine.  Jesus places several very important conditions on when we can expect Him to delivery what we ask for, and we must understand these conditions.

John Piper helps us understand these conditions and other important aspects of prayer.

1. Prayer is fruit bearing: "If you are not devoted to fruit-bearing, you have no warrant for expecting answers to prayer. Prayer is designed for fruit-bearing."

2. Prayer is not for gratifying natural desires: "[natural desires] should always be subordinate to spiritual desires; kingdom desires; fruit-bearing desires; gospel-spreading, God-centered desires; Christ-exalting, God-glorifying desires."

3. The words of Jesus abiding in us prepare us for fruit-bearing prayer.

4. The more we are saturated by the words of Jesus, the more our prayers will be answered. 

Piper encourages us to take heed in Psalm 37:4.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and who has grown in my heart and life - giving my a life of peace and joy - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  I worry and I have much more sin - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.

Ezekiel 9

Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it. v4

God sends out one in linen with a writing kit to mark those in Jerusalem "who grieve and lament" over Israel and Judah.  Those marked will be saved from punishment.  In today's age of sin and suffering, John Piper refers to such people as "groaners" who accept that sin's pervasiveness exists and that Christians do play a role in lamenting over such sin.  Piper encourages us to lament and groan just as those who did in Ezekiel's time (with the implication that we of course also lament and repent for the sin in our own lives).  

Piper then goes on to provide additional steps we can take, including:

2. "Realize that only God’s shoulders can bear the boulders of global suffering."
3. "Give thanks for the diversity of the gifting in the body of Christ."
4. "Trust God for the grace to do the good he expects you — not others — to do, and then do the good in your path, like the Good Samaritan did."

 My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who marked me as being saved even though I am undeserving of the salvation that Christ provides.  I worry and I am often harsh with my words and actions.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.