Text: Daniel 9:3-19

Dear Young People,

MAKING CONFESSION TO THE LORD
One of the moving things to note about the prayer that Daniel made was the confession that poured from his heart to the Lord.

"And I prayed to the Lord my God,
and I made confession…"
Daniel 9:4

There are a number of reasons why Daniel prayed to the Lord in this manner. Let us consider just two probable reasons:-

1. Awareness of the greatness of God.
One of the things that Daniel was most conscious of was that God was so great. Conversely, he was also most conscious of the fact that he was most insignificant. This comprehension of spiritual truth caused him to pray as humbly as he did.

2. Awareness of the holiness of God.
Daniel was also most conscious of the holiness of God. At the same time, he realized just how sinful he really was too. This spiritual awareness led him to pour out his heart in supplications before God. He could not but put on sackcloth and throw ashes over his head, weeping because of his awareness of his personal wretched state.

A CAREFUL OBSERVATION OF THE PRAYER OF DANIEL
Daniel's prayer was truly unique. His prayer is worth studying deeply.

"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."
Daniel 9:4-5

The opening words confirm for us that Daniel was indeed most conscious of God's greatness and his sinfulness (and that of the nation of Israel). How very much we can learn from Daniel as to how we ought to pray to God.

Let us learn to come into the Presence of God and be conscious of His greatness. Let us also seek to become even more aware of how sinful we really are. If these two things are practised consciously, we would find ourselves praying in the spirit of Daniel. Our prayers would be that much likely to be honoured by the Lord.

Prayerfully,                                                                             

Pastor Charlie

First released 17th March 2002, © Bethany Independent-Presbyterian Church, Singapore