Daniel 9

“And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:” (v. 3)

One cannot say enough about the importance and the effectiveness of prayer. Much of the first 19 verses record a beautiful prayer by Daniel (from verse 3 to v. 19); a prayer of humility and confession; a prayer for the nation as well as for himself. We would do well to read this prayer again and again, and put America in there where Israel is, and realize that the hope for our country and for each individual is the Lord Himself. He is our only hope. We have seen that Daniel was indeed a man of prayer, praying three times a day toward Jerusalem, and that the Lord was pleased with his habit of praying. It is in this that we realize a close walk with the Lord; in the “prayer closet”. We will never amount to anything, nor accomplish anything for the Lord until we make prayer a regular part of our day, every day. There is much for the futurist here; much for the speculative that seeks to know prophecy, and yet we seem to miss the vital thread of prayer. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says it all: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” It is time we bent the knee in prayer. Say what you will, but the message here is prayer. There are many good, logical sounding arguments for getting involved in the political process, but God says that the hope for our country is prayer, and that is all. The prayer of God's children, specifically, and the testimony of the same. We fail to see our value as Christians; we fail to see the value of prayer. Daniel’s success lies in the time he spent in prayer. His walk with the Lord is contingent upon the time he spent in prayer, and, by the way, so it is with us. The hope for America is only in seeking the Lord, and diligently and desperately bending the knee in prayer. The angel Gabriel told Daniel that he was “greatly beloved” of the Lord, (v. 23), and the blessing came while Daniel was yet praying (v. 21).

Daniel “set” his face unto the Lord. This speaks of determination, as when Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem (Lk. 9:51). This determination comes from the relationship we have with Christ. Our love for Him will prompt us to be determined to pray. If we have trouble with our prayer life, the prOBlem is in our “love” life! We do not love the Lord properly or proportionately. This is hard for us to see, but nevertheless it is true. Every prOBlem we have is, in fact, a “love” prOBlem; a prayer prOBlem. If we love the Lord properly, we will do what He asks of us willingly and gladly.