Daniel
9 reminds me how almost everyone we know answers a request for help
the same way. Can you do something for me? Maybe, what is it? We
have to check our calendar and resources and frankly decide if the
person is worth the effort. Today’s chapter has two distinct
parts. The first gives us insight into Daniel’s prayer life; and
the second into God’s response to prayer. We read that this was
written “In the first year of
Darius son of Xerxes“. First,
notice that part of his prayer time involved reading God’s Word,
“I… understood from the
Scriptures…”
He read from Jeremiah,
that the Babylonian captivity
and exile from Jerusalem
“would
last seventy years“.
At this point,
Daniel was in his early 80’s, meaning the time was almost up, “So
I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and
petition“. His prayer is a
model we can surely follow. He prayed to, “the
great and awesome God, who keeps
His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His
commandments“. Daniel next
reminds himself of God’s faithfulness, “Lord,
you are righteous… even though
we have rebelled… God is merciful and forgiving… yet we have not
sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and
giving attention to Your truth“.
And then Daniel asked for forgiveness, “Lord,
in keeping with all Your righteous acts, turn away Your anger and
Your wrath from Jerusalem… Your holy hill“.
Has your prayer time become a list of suggestions and requests? Any
time we come before God in fellowship, it is good, but Daniel’s
pattern is a good one to follow.
Only
after Daniel reads, praises God, and seeks forgiveness does he ask
God to “hear the prayers and
petitions of Your servant“.
Please notice the attitude of the great prophet of Israel, “We
do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of
Your great mercy“. His prayer
is summarized, “Lord,
listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For Your
sake.”
My favorite part of the chapter is reported to Daniel by the angel
Gabriel, “As soon as you began
to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you“.
God does not hesitate in answering our prayer; He acted the moment
Daniel began to speak. Matthew 6:8 tells us that God knows our
prayer before we ask, immediately before giving us the Lord’s
Prayer. Our prayer bolsters our faith because God demonstrates His
faithfulness to us when He answers.
The last part of the chapter includes God’s
revelation to Daniel about how He will keep all of His promises.
God’s covenant with Abraham promised that Israel would possess the
Land, the Messiah would be born through his line, and the whole world
would be blessed through Him. The fulfillment is explained in 70
“periods of time”. Gabriel explained, “Seventy
‘sevens’ are
decreed for your people“. He
continues, “From the time the
word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed
One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and
sixty-two ‘sevens’… After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the
Anointed One will be put to death“.
In March/April 444 B.C. Nehemiah was given orders to rebuild the
walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:8). 69 Periods of 7 later (483 years
to the day on the Jewish calendar) March 29th
33 A.D. the Jesus Christ was “Cut off”. With that, the
stopwatch has been paused. In 70 AD the temple was destroyed. When
will the 70th
week of Daniel begin? When will the clock restart? We are not told.
I do believe that just as Noah and his family were lifted out of the
flood, believers in Christ will be lifted up before the last 7 years.
“The end will come like a
flood: War will continue until the end… He
will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.”
The only question that matters is; do you trust Jesus Christ as your
Savior? God does not hesitate to answer our requests because He is
trustworthy, and you are worth it!