What we learn from Daniel's prayer for Jerusalem and her people

Daniel 9:3-20

And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and

sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed unto Jehovah my God, and made confession, and said, Oh, Lord, the

great and dreadful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep

his commandments, we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have

rebelled, even turning aside from thy precepts and from thine ordinances; neither have we hearkened

unto thy servants the prophets, that spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to

all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of face, 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 belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our

princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies

and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him; neither have we obeyed the voice of Jehovah our

God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel have

transgressed thy law, even turning aside, that they should not obey thy voice: therefore hath the curse

been poured out upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God; for we

have sinned against him. And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our

judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil; for under the whole heaven hath not been done

as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet

have we not entreated the favor of Jehovah our God, that we should turn from our iniquities, and have

discernment in thy truth. Therefore hath Jehovah watched over the evil, and brought it upon us; for

Jehovah our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth, and we have not obeyed his voice. And

now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand,

and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according

to all thy righteousness, let thine anger and thy wrath, I pray thee, be turned away from thy city

Jerusalem, thy holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and

thy people are become a reproach to all that are round about us. Now therefore, O our God, hearken

unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary

that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold

our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications

before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies' sake. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O

Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are

called by thy name. And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my

people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my

God;

1) In Daniel's prayer he showed Humility by saying “I set my face unto the Lord God,

to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.”

2) He Acknowledges we are all sinners in that he prayed “We have sinned, and have

dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled.”

3) He Acknowledges all the ways we have departed from God “Even turning aside

from thy precepts and from thine ordinances; neither have we hearkened unto thy

servants the prophets, that spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers,

and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee.”

4) Daniel encourages to return to our first love; We need to remember our first love of

Jehovah, and return to that place where we first loved Jehovah with all our hearts.

5) Daniel's zealousness for God’s name and reputation is demonstrated in “Now

therefore, O our God, hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplications,

and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my

God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city

which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our

righteousness, but for thy great mercies' sake. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord,

hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people

are called by thy name. And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and

the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for

the holy mountain of my God;.”

This was Daniel’s prayer in his time and in Jerusalem's great trial, and it should be our prayer for

our time and the trials we face in the Church (New Jerusalem). We all as believers, the people that are

called by his name, need to humble ourselves and seek the God the father's face. We have sinned

against Jehovah our God. We have departed from His ways. We need to remember our first love for

Jehovah, and return to it, and we need to remember that is not for our sakes that we ask all this, but for

the sake of His name and His testimony throughout the world. We all need to do this individually and

corporately as believers. The time has come to humble ourselves as one and make God the Father first

in all things.