Daniel: Week 9 Daniel 9 is a great reminder to pray in all circumstances. This prayer comes between visions, and happens about 11 years after the second vision (around 538 BC). Daniel is reading the scrolls of the prophet Jeremiah and realizes that the time of his captivity is coming to an end (Jeremiah 25:11-12). In verse 3 Daniel says, “then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” Daniel calls God “Lord God” which means “Yahweh” “Elohim”. Yahweh – Promise-Keeper Elohim – Powerful Creator He was moved to pray, and this is a prayer of mourning and grief. He has a conviction to pray for himself and his people. Remember: Conviction=Hope Condemnation=Hopeless This prayer of Daniel is a prayer of confession. Confession is admitting sin to God. When we confess, we are completely cleared of that sin, and we should be able to walk without shame. As followers of Jesus, we should be “fast confessors”. When we confess, we agree with God in the way we should live. Verse 18 ends with, “For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.” In other words, God’s character is perfect, and ours is not. We cannot will anything to happen. It happens by God’s providence. As Daniel was confessing his sin and the sin of his people, the archangel Gabriel came to bring understanding to Daniel. “He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved.” Remember, Daniel had been kidnapped and taken away. He had been betrayed, lived with constant stress, and survived several changes in the leadership of Babylon. He had been there almost 70 years, praying for himself and for his people. Daniel’s life is a great reminder that just because we experience hard season, it doesn’t mean God has forgotten us or doesn’t love us. In every season, every situation, every second of every day for all eternity, you are deeply loved by God. Questions to Consider: What are some of the challenges your life has faced? How do you talk to God about those challenges? When is a time that you persevered in prayer? What (if it is over) was the outcome of that situation? You are greatly loved by God. You are precious and treasured! Do you feel that loved by your Good Father? Talk to Him about that.