Wouldn’t it be great if the Lord answered each prayer quickly, immediately and according to our own timing? Although, the Lord answers prayer, it’s according to His own wisdom and timing.
Sometimes, the Lord gets kind of rough with us. The prophets outlined the actions amounting to obedience and disobedience (Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy chapters 27 and 28). He might delay His answer. He may say, “no.” He might say “yes.” He might say “wait.”
You can be assured that He will answer. He is sovereign in all His ways. And He pays attention to those who call on Him.
One of my favorite Bible personalities is Daniel. Daniel was a regular layperson deeply concerned about the future of his people, Israel. He was proactive in learning about the past predictions and prophesy by the prophets of what would happen to his people. He searched the holy books.
“I, Daniel understood by books, the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem,” (Daniel 9:2).
Daniel read the history, what did he do? He came to the Lord in prayer and supplications. How did he seek to get the attention and communicate with the Lord? He fasted and humbled himself in sackcloth, and ashes. He prayed unto the Lord my God and made my confession.
Daniel’s prayer , “O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments,” (Daniel 9:4).
He confesses their sins. “We have sinned. We departed from your precepts,” (Daniel 9:5). In verses 6-11, He notes that the people have not listened to the prophets, “even though they made their voices known to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
“O Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
“O Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him;
“Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel have transgressed your law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.”
Daniel made a corporate prayer on behalf of himself and his people. Listen dear readers…we have a desperate situation here at our doors. If you will read the prayer of Daniel as written in Daniel 9, which is a model prayer for our country and that of others, I recommend that we read this prayer of confession on behalf of our people of the United States.
Here we are involved in the Ukrainian war. Russia, China, North Korea and other powerful countries challenge the U.S. I am not saying that a divided kingdom inn the U.S. will happen today or tomorrow.
We are spending goo-gobbs of money. I already told you that one of Solomon’s downfall was spending too much money and taxing the people! However, these matters should not be taken lightly.
The fall off Jerusalem seems to have come as a surprise to its people. Yet, the real surprise is that they did not recognize what was coming. They were repeatedly warned about the consequences of idolatry and other corporate sins. Yet, they were shocked when the Babylonians breached the walls (c.587 B.C.). Prophecy has a real purpose. It warns and informs.
As it reads in Daniel 9:20-21, “And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God;
“Yes, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me.”
Gabriel brings him a most powerful message from behind the scenes in the heavenlies. [to be continued]
Thanks for reading! Jeanette Grattan Parker is the founder-superintendent of Today’s Fresh Start Charter School, 4514 Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles 90043 323-293-9826 www.todaysfreshstart.org (Ask Dr. Jeanette TM) Inquiring Minds Want to Know” All articles are copyright. All rights reserved © The Holy Bible New Testament, Errors? Let me know. Sundays for music & message: 11:30am {1-712-775-8971—code 266751} References: (The Holy Bible) Word In Life Study Bible. Don’t stop praying and hoping. Daniel chapters 9 and 10.