Daniel's Pattern For Prayer

Title: Daniel’s Pattern For Prayer

Text: Daniel 9-10

Pray!!!

Introduction:

- Many of us have been taught to pray our entire lives. We have heard other people pray and I am sure we have heard countless messages concerning the topic.

- Many of us have been taught to pray our entire lives. It develops our personal relationship with Him.

- But the most important reason I believe is that praylessness is sin. I Samuel 12 says, “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.”

- When we don’t pray as Christians, we are weak. Listen to this story:

Deep in the Costa Rican jungle lives the small tomato frog. Red in color like a tomato, he has a unique defense against predators. Once he’s attacked, he emits a deadly, milky white poison all over his skin. As the attacking animal bites into a tomato frog, it tastes the poison and spits the frog out of its mouth.Unfortunately, by the time the predator spits out the frog, the traumatized amphibian dies anyway.

- We are like the frog, we wait to pray and employ our spiritual defenses or offences until after satan has already attacked and caused damage in our lives.

- Daniel prayed in the late stages of Israel’s defeat.

- But never the less God stilled answered Daniel’s prayer, and will answer ours as well. No matter how far we have traveled down the enemies road, God can still reach us and deliver us, as we will see in our text.

Transition:

- Daniel 9 shows us the prayer that he prayed to God while in captivity.

- It was a powerful prayer, and we learn many insights as to how he prayed to God and what happens when we take time out our busy schedules to pray.

- How did Daniel pray? What is Daniel’s pattern for prayer?

- I have 4 points that Daniel implemented into his prayer life that we need to have in ours as well. Lets look at them together this morning:

Point 1: Confess The Truth Of God

Dan 9:9 says, “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him”

- When we sin confess truth about God.

- People with low self worth or image of themselves, need to confess truth about who God is. What is God like?

- What is God like when we blow it, or when we sin? He is merciful and forgiving.

- We need to confess those truths to God and to ourselves when we pray.

- Many truths that we could confess when we pray:

- God is loving, forgiving, patient, long suffering, merciful, compassionate, just, righteous, Holy, ever present one, provider, protector, all knowing, all powerful, a God who is for me and not against me as a Christian.

- We need to confess those truths about God when we pray back to God and to us.

Point 2: Live The Truth Of God

Dan 9:13 says, “Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.”

- Not only are we to confess God’s character, like mercy and forgiveness, we must now seek those character traits for our lives, in our hour of need.

- When we sin to we seek out the Lord? Not all the time we go into hiding like Adam and Eve because we are afraid.

- When we no who God is we will then start living the truth about God in our lives.

- When we seek God’s mercy and forgiveness we do so by changing our habits and ways, believing in faith that God has forgiving us.

- Now there are reasons today people don’t seek Mercy and Forgiveness or any other character trait of God. I have 3 reasons:

a. Pride

b. Self-worth - Feel we don’t deserve it.

C. We look to others - I didn’t do that, or it doesn’t concern me. I didn’t blow the way that person blew it.

- Daniel numbered himself with the nation of Israel, when he prayed to the Lord. (Vs 20)

- Other examples to consider: Deut 21:1-9; II Sam 21:1-14. God never changes we must do the same at times.

Point 3: Understand The Truth Of God

Dan 9:21-23 says, “while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision.”