I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land . . . Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” (Daniel 9:4-6, 18-19, NASB)
The book of Daniel takes place during the Babylonian exile, and the subsequent conquest by the Persians of that empire. This is the same Daniel who endured the Lion’s Den. Daniel received favor, and was appointed to high positions in the courts of the kings of Babylon and the Medo-Persian Empire. Today’s snippet takes place during the reign of King Darius of Persia. This Bible passage features a prayer for national repentance for the nation of Judah, and is a great model as we pray for our Nation.
Daniel had noticed the number of years that the Prophet Jeremiah had said that the exile would last (70 years), had almost run its course. Daniel therefore fasted and prayed, and chapter 9 contains that prayer. Notice how he acknowledges Judah’s sins, but also his responsibility in those sins: “We have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.” It’s important that you and I identify with the transgressions of our Nation, as well as our own sins.
Daniel continues: “Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.” Who are our modern-day prophets? Many of our pastors. We need to pay attention to them!
Last, Daniel prays for a desired end state. In this case, he prays for the resettlement of the city of Jerusalem and the restoration of the Holy Temple, because he’s aware that the 70 years of exile and Jerusalem’s desolation are almost complete. Daniel also admits to the Lord that the people don’t deserve what he’s asking for, but it’s by God’s love and mercy that He will abide by His word!
On a recent walk through the Bible, I made a list of the great national prayers. In addition to Daniel 9, we see them also in Ezra 9; Nehemiah 1; 1 Kings 8:22-53 & 2 Chronicles 6:12-42; 2 Kings 19 (King Hezekiah’s prayer) & Isaiah 37; Psalm 85; and Jeremiah 14. It’s interesting that these prayers follow much the same format: Personal and national repentance, a desired outcome, and acknowledgment that we don’t deserve God’s mercy in the outcome.
I am guilty of sins against God. I’ve not done all I can to straighten out the transgressions perpetrated in our land. Please forgive me, Lord! I pray for liberty and justice for all, and for revival and a Great Awakening in our land, that people would turn back to God. And like God’s gift of salvation, I and we are not deserving. Only by His grace can we approach Him, trust in His Son, and be saved! In Jesus alone is our Hope!