Daniel 9:1-27 Daniel’s Prayer for His People
It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.”
“Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice.”
“So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin. You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.”
“O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.”
“O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.”
“O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.”
“O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”
Notice several things: Daniel prayed regularly, at least three times a day and had done so since his youth, even before the Babylonians had brought him to Babylon. It was this habit of prayer that the wicked bureaucrats employed to trap Daniel and manipulate Darius so that he was forced to cast Daniel into the lions’ den. Daniel also was a keen student of the Jewish Scriptures, including the prophet Jeremiah. It was while studying Jeremiah 25:11-13 that Daniel realized that God would punish the land for 70 years and then restore it. Jeremiah 29:10 says, “For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.”
Daniel also knew of Isaiah’s prophecies concerning a leader named Cyrus (Isaiah 44:28-45:4.) Daniel realized that the time was growing short; however, Daniel was also observing the lives of his fellow Jews in Babylon. Daniel assumed that many Jews living outside Babylon were pursuing similarly unholy lives. How could God possibly return these people to Israel if they failed to change and worship Him? The ancestors of these people had lost their land through gross disobedience to God, despite all the specific warnings He had given through Moses and the prophets. As moral degradation in both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms increased, God sent faithful prophets, many of whom were martyred in gruesome ways.
Daniel’s prayers were born out of agony: certainly God was faithful; however, His people were anything but faithful, and many of them had not learned anything through being exiled. Before God could possibly return anyone to Israel, such people would have to truly worship Him. By the time Daniel was praying these prayers, he was elderly and remained an exile. There was nothing to encourage Daniel that God would hear his prayers, let alone honor them; yet, Daniel prayed.
Tomorrow we will see how God sends an angel to help Daniel understand the full force of the prophecies, but for today, let’s look at Daniel’s heart cry on behalf of his nation.
- Daniel does not sugar coat sin. As a young man, Daniel knew of the horrific pagan practices going on in Judah before he was taken to Babylon. It’s quite possible that Daniel confessed many specific sins to God such as those sacrificing live children to Molech by burning them and those involved in cult prostitution.
- Daniel acknowledges that God has only done what He said He would do. The punishment is just. God has repeatedly warned the Israelites, only for them to ignore His laws and slaughter the prophets God has sent to warn them.
- Daniel begs God to forgive, to cleanse, and to restore.
“O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.”
“O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.”
“O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”
What can we learn from Daniel’s prayers? We need to copy Daniel’s concern and his prayer points. Throughout the world, the forces of evil remain active, and those actively opposing evil need all the prayer support we can give them. We should pray for political and religious leaders, for teachers, for those in all walks of life, and also for ourselves.
Notice that Daniel bases his prayers on God’s promises, not on his own righteousness. By ourselves, we are all sinners in need of a savior; however, God has sent Jesus to shed his blood for our sins and save all who will believe in him. But we can pray God’s promises back to Him.
1 Chronicles 7:14 tells us, “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
When we humble ourselves, repent from our sins, pray and seek God’s face, God will answer. God doesn’t play favorites; just as God answered Daniel’s prayers, He will also answer ours. May we be persistent and consistent in prayer!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to keep praying, even when things look hopeless. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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