Daniel 9:2
"In the first year of his reign 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."
We have come again to another one of Daniel’s prayers, vs.3-19. Our verse today is the precursor to that prayer. Daniel was not only a man of prayer but also a man of the Word. We know that he prayed three times a day, which led to him being thrown into the lions’ den. I wonder if this Bible study was part of his daily routine as well? The Bible doesn’t explicitly say, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he began his prayer time with Bible reading.
Bible reading does many things for us. In Daniel’s case, it enabled him to understand that their captivity was set for 70 years. He was reading from Jeremiah, most likely Jeremiah 29:10: “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” Can you imagine what a joy that must have been? To realize that their captivity had an expiration date! How many times have you found your situation to be not half as bad as you thought, once the Bible shines its light of understanding on your "captivity"? The Word of God illuminates everything around us—and within us.
It also fills our hearts with the promises of God. Through the Word, we have something far greater than our own thoughts and aspirations to bring before Him. We can take His promises to the throne and confidently ask Him to fulfill them. There is no better way to pray according to His will than by praying according to His Word. He cannot refuse His own Word, so make yourself familiar with God’s promises, and take them to the throne of grace, that you “may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Lastly, we need to recognize how eager God is to answer these sorts of prayers. Look at Daniel 9:23: “At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth…” Daniel’s prayer was quite lengthy—17 verses—but it wasn’t when he became more eloquent or fervent that God responded. Rather, at the very beginning of his prayer, the command was given for Gabriel to come and give him further understanding of God’s purposes. Thousands of books have been written on how to pray, but in the Bible, some of the weakest, shortest, and most scattered prayers were met with the power of God. He isn’t impressed by the method, length, or volume of our prayers. It’s not about being “good at prayer”—just pray, and He stands ready to answer, to give you skill and understanding, and to remind you that you are dearly beloved (Daniel 9:22-23).
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