2007-10-21 - Daniel
Chapter 9: Part 5 ~ Installment 73
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that
if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14).
Do we really believe this? Maybe the real question should be: Do we pray
according to God's will? Let's take a look at the prayer of Daniel, to see
what we can take from it that will instruct us in making our own prayers
more effective.
Again, the first thing we note is Daniel includes himself with the Jewish
people and therefore a sinner with them. Certainly we know Daniel was obedient
to the Lord, so why did he speak as a sinner? Daniel prayed as a sinner because
he was praying for his people, and he was part of them.
When we pray for the church, we must remember that we are the church. And
we must also be cognizant of the fact that we are simply a local body within
the church at large. As we pray for the church universal, we must be willing
to repent of its failings, for only then will we be open to the Lord identifying
our own failings.
Daniel gets down to business with his prayers. First, his prayer comes out
of studying the Scriptures. If we are to pray consistent with God's will,
then we must know His will in general. And our first source of knowing the
will of God is through His word.
Daniel goes to God in great humility and mourning, as represented by the
fact he adorned himself in sackcloth and ashes. I'm afraid too often we go
to the Lord as if we were going to an equal, instead of the Mighty God. I
know I tend to be so caught up in my agenda, that I forget I am simply a
creation who should be seeking the will of the Creator.
To be continued.
Comments or Questions?
Geoff
GKragen@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org
Additional studies
by Geoff
Podcasts of Studies in Matthew can be found at
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