Daniel’s Prayer Answered
In the first year of
Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made
king over the realm of the Chaldeans--in the first year of his reign I,
Daniel, (1)
understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word
of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish
seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. (2) Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. (3) And I prayed to the Lord my God, (4)
and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who
keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those
who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we
have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts
and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets,
who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and
all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but
to us shame of face, as it is this day--to the men of Judah, to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off
in all the countries to which You have driven them, (5)
because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. O
Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our
fathers, because we have sinned against You. (6)
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have
rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God,
to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the
prophets. (7)
Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not
to obey Your voice; therefore, the curse and the oath written in the
Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we
have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke
against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a
great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as
what has been done to Jerusalem. (8)
As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon
us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we
might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. Therefore,
the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; (9)
for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does,
though we have not obeyed His voice. And now, O Lord our God, who
brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and
made Yourself a name, as it is this day--we have sinned, we have done
wickedly! (10)
O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and
Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain;
because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem
and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Now therefore,
our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and
for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which
is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and
see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we
do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous
deeds, but because of Your great mercies. (11)
O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for
Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your
name." (12)
Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of
my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God
for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer,
the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being
caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening
offering. Daniel 9:1-21
1) Daniel prayed for an event.
2) Daniel prepared for prayer.
3) Daniel prayed to God.
4) Daniel made confession of sins.
5) Daniel made confession of unfaithfulness.
6) Daniel proclaims that God provides forgiveness.
7) Daniel made confession for ignoring the Word of God.
8) Daniel confesses disobedience that led to destruction.
9) Daniel confesses God is righteous in everything.
10) Daniel asks God to turn away His anger and fury.
11) Daniel begs God to hear, forgive, and act.
12) Daniel’s prayer was dramatically answered.