| Photo by Linus Nyland on Unsplash
Daniel was a man of God who spent time with God in prayer, worship, and being filled with His presence. Because of His private life with God, God could use Him publicly. God gave dreams to Daniel, and Daniel could interpret dreams, because He knew God.
In Daniel 9, we see that Daniel was aware of what was to come, and he prayed for his people. He knew that 70 years of captivity were coming for his people, and he prays, fasts, and intercedes for the people.
Beginning in Daniel 9:4-5, we see his prayer, and this is how we should pray today.
“I prayed to the Lord MY GOD and CONFESSED: “O Lord, you are great and awesome God! You always fulfill Your covenant and keep your PROMISES OF UNFAILING LOVE TO THOSE WHO LOVE YOU AND OBEY YOUR COMMANDS. But we have SINNED and have done wrong. We have REBELLED against You and scorned your commands and REGULATIONS.”
What are some prayer points for us today?
- I need to pray to the LORD MY GOD! How can we pray to a God that we do not know, do not serve, do not worship, do not trust, and do not obey personally? We can say prayers, but are we a person that is praying to MY GOD?
- I need to start off prayer with CONFESSION! I need to start by confessing my sin, because I can pray about the sins of others.
- I need to WORSHIP God! Worship changes my perspective of who God really is. You are the great and awesome God! You consistently fulfill your PROMISES of UNFAILING LOVE!
- I need to live out my prayers. “To those who love You and obey Your commands.” How can I pray for others if I am not walking in love for God and obeying God’s commands in my own life?
- I need to be honest about myself and others – “That we have rebelled against God and scorned God’s commands.”
Prayer is not about asking for things we need from God, but it begins with us praying that we are right with God. We need to pray for ourselves first, and then we can begin praying for our families, friends, city, and our nation!
Lord, change me today!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Center (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and significant emotional life experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is receiving rave reviews. His daily devotional appears in this publication.
