SCRIPTURE: Daniel 9:1-19
OBSERVATION:
Daniel has read Jeremiah’s words about Israel’s exile (Jeremiah 25:11-12), and is praying for the end of the exile.
The right response before God is always humility and repentance, and Daniel demonstrates this.
Honesty about our failures is hard, we usually minimize or justify our failures, yet Daniel is very explicit about their collective failure.
There is no sense of blaming God or doubting His goodness, even after 70 years of exile (Daniel was in Babylon until the first year of Cyrus, 1:21, when the Jews were finally free to return home).
APPLICATION:
How big of a place does repentance and confession have in my prayers?
Am I guilty of minimizing or justifying my sinful attitudes or behaviours; do I blame God or question His goodness when bad things happen to me?
Repentance is not just a one-time act, it is a frame of mind, an attitude, a way of existing before God. I sense the Lord challenging me to deepen my honesty and awareness of my guilt, my pride, my sin.
To spend less time talking to God as my “Servant” in heaven, and to recognize His awesome greatness and my smallness before Him.
PRAYER:
Lord, I sense my sin and smallness a little, but not enough. Help me to be honest and humble and Daniel, and to base my prayers on Your mercy, not on my desire or deserving. Amen.
In all of life I must see the hand of the Lord. In the good times I must remember to praise Him for His greatness, goodness, awesomeness. In affliction I must be able to see the hand of the Lord to bring me from my sin, and restore me into His presence. All of my life I need to serve the living God. All of my life I need to see His presence. This was Daniel’s prayer – to stand on the promises of God. We are made right only by His mercy when we come into His presence. Not only do we pray for ourselves but also for His people. Lord help me to see my sins and my dependence upon You. Help me to praise you each day and to trust in You with all of my life.
My Life is in You Lord, my strength is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord, in You, it’s in You (repeat)
I will praise You will all of my life
I will praise You with all of my strength
With all of my life, with all of my strength,
All of my hope is in You