Daniel 9:3 (KJV) “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and
sackcloth, and ashes.”
Daniel’s prayer is one of the most well-known prayers in Scripture, but have we truly paid careful attention to how it is structured? Have we considered what influences the prayer in this chapter? Today, we are going to explore some of those elements and see how we can apply them to our own lives.
Firstly, we notice that Daniel was engaged in study. As a student of the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Spirit inspired him to understand the book of Jeremiah. If there is one thing we need in our lives, it is to diligently study the Word of Truth and ask the Holy Spirit for understanding.
Daniel sought insight into the matter of the seventy years and when the people should return and this led him to pray. In our own study of the Word, we may come across promises that the Lord has made to His children, and we may feel that the time has come for those promises to be fulfilled in our lives. Isn’t that motivation enough to pray that the Lord fulfills His Word?
But wait perhaps something is hindering the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life. Wonder what it could be? Daniel says he set his face toward the Lord to pray, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. The first thing he did was to remember the Lord. He turned his face to God and prayed to the One who knows all and thinks good thoughts toward us. He rendered his prayer with humility, symbolized by sackcloth and ashes. This wasn’t a showy or prideful humility, but true humility,
knowing he was speaking to the One who knows everything.
He fasted, ensuring he was wholly in touch with the divine. And then, the first thing he did was confess. Confess! This is how prayer for the fulfillment of God’s promises should begin. You must confess, because your sins may be the very thing hindering the fulfillment. After such confession, Daniel received an answer a beautiful one, containing the prophecy about the life of our Messiah, the King! Isn’t it wonderful that all it takes is to humble ourselves in prayer and supplication,
confessing and bringing our matters before the Lord?
Reflection
Do we truly understand the prerequisites for answered prayer? How often do we humble ourselves and search deeply within our hearts for unconfessed sins? Are we willing to follow Daniel’s example when we pray?
Prayer
Dear Lord, We come before You, realizing that we often fall short in our communication with You. We ask that You teach us how to pray rightly. May our confessions be sincere, filled with genuine sorrow and deep humility. Please reveal Your will for our lives always. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.