Drawing God Near
Book of Daniel Series
CCCAG 3-30-25
Text: Daniel 9:3-19 (NIV)
Introduction
When I was a very new Christian, my senior pastor had a few of us younger guys he’d spend time with—either mentoring us directly in a small group or kicking our butts on the church’s racquetball courts.
One Sunday, he preached a sermon about something I’d never encountered during my childhood in the Lutheran church: intercessory prayer.
I didn’t quite understand what he was saying. After all, I’d been confirmed as a Lutheran, we had our three prayers, and that was that. But as I attended more Pentecostal services, I began to see that prayer wasn’t just reciting a pledge of allegiance to God—it was a conversation with a Father who loves you fiercely and craves time with you.
I talked to Pastor Clair after the service and he told me he’d follow up with me later in the week. Thursday afternoon, my pastor called me up.
“Are you free to meet me at the church?” he said.
“Should I bring my racket?” I asked.
“No,” he chuckled, “this is a little more spiritual than racquetball.” As I drove over, I wondered what could be more spiritual than our usual court battles. The secretary greeted me and told me they were in the prayer room, saying he was waiting for me up there.
Our church was a decent sized church that seated about a thousand, with a balcony and two rooms off the sides of the balcony.
One was labeled the “Upper Room,” and was a place set apart for prayer. I climbed the stairs and quietly opened the door. The room was dimly lit, and I heard the soft murmur of men praying.
As the door shut, I felt something I never felt before- it was a weight that settled over me. It felt like being under water, surrounded by something touching every part of your body. The weight gave me a dual feeling in my spirit- something I’ve come to understand is the terrible, yet comforting presence of Almighty God.
A man I didn’t recognize lay on the floor, sobbing and praying in what sounded like an oriental language. My pastor knelt beside him, praying in tongues. I sank into a chair, soaking in the atmosphere, silent before God as these two men showed me what intercessory prayer looked like.
Later, I learned the man was Peter Chun, our missionary to Asia. One of his secret house churches in China had been raided, its pastor arrested and sentenced to 20 years of hard labor. Peter was waging war in the Spirit for that church and it’s pastor.
That day, I saw intercession in action—raw, desperate, and Spirit-led.
What I didn’t understand in the sermon about intercessory prayer immediately became clear as I watched it demonstrated before me.
This is the kind of prayer we’ll see in Daniel 9, where one man’s passionate intercession moved heaven for a nation.
As we study these scriptures this morning, we will also see the kind of prayer that ALWAYS gets our Father’s attention and moves things in the spiritual realm.
Some background about today’s scripture-
It had just been revealed to Daniel that the 70 year exile of the Hebrew nation was almost over. Realizing the pending release of his people back to the promised land, Daniel desperately wants them to get it right this time.
Daniel is keenly aware of Leviticus 26 that says that when they return to the promised land, if they fall back into sin, God will multiply HIS judgement for their sin 7 times over- meaning the 70 years of captivity and exile from the promised land would turn into 490 years.
So Daniel puts aside his rich clothing and food he had as a high ranking official in his government. He puts on sackcloth, and refuses to eat as he goes into intercessory prayer for his people and their return.
Dan 9:3-19 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. (4) I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: Ah, Lord?—?the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands?—? (5) we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. (6) We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land.
(7) Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel?—?those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you. (8) LORD, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. (9) Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him (10) and have not obeyed the LORD our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets. (11) All Israel has broken your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. The promised curse written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against him.
(12) He has carried out his words that he spoke against us and against our rulers by bringing on us a disaster that is so great that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been done under all of heaven. (13) Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth. (14) So the LORD kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all he has done. But we have not obeyed him.
(15) Now, Lord our God?—who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and made your name renowned as it is this day?—we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. (16) Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, may your anger and wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us. (17) Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of your servant. Make your face shine on your desolate sanctuary for the Lord’s sake. (18) Listen closely, my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. (19) Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name.
Prayer
This morning we will be looking at Daniel’s intercessory prayer for the Jewish people in exile.
The first thing we should see- intercessory prayer is not your run-of-the-mill blessing or request for God to move in a way that seems right to you.
This isn’t prayer 101, this is the advanced class on seeking God.
So let’s begin by defining define it-
Intercessory prayer is the act of petitioning God on behalf of another person or group. It is rooted in the believer’s role as a mediator who brings the needs, sins, or concerns of others before God’s throne of grace, trusting in His mercy and sovereign will.
Intercessory prayer reflects the priestly calling of Christians to intercede as part of the body of Christ. It is modeled after Jesus Christ’s intercession for humanity throughout his ministry and is grounded in the biblical mandate to pray for all people, as an expression of love, faith, and dependence on God’s redemptive power.
So you see that Intercessory prayer is powerful, it is demanding, and it is the way to really shake up the spiritual realm, get an understanding of God’s heart and plan, and align our prayers with HIS will in every situation.
Let’s look at Daniel’s prayer and see how that happens.
The first thing we should realize is that just like you aren’t going to wake up one morning and decide to run a marathon without extensively preparing, Intercessory prayer is also something that is serious enough to require some preparation.
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I. Preparation Through Humility and Repentance
Let’s look at how Daniel prepared to enter this time of intense prayer
Daniel 9:3
So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
Daniel doesn’t casually stroll into God’s presence; he approaches with reverence and humility.
In essence, Daniel is modeling what the bible says the Hebrew high priest went through so that he could minister before God for the nation of Israel.
In Leviticus Chapter 16, it gives the long process that the High Priest had to follow to prepare himself to go into the Holy of Holies. Here is a brief synopsis of that preparation-
Ritual bathing of his entire body
Don sacred clothing in a very precise order
Offering a bull as a sin offering for himself
Prepare two goats- one for sacrifice, and one to carry the sins of the people away from the camp (scapegoat).
Take a censer of burning coals from the altar with two handfuls of incense and cloud up both the Holy Place and The Holy of Holies so he wouldn’t be exposed to the Glory of God.
Then and only then could he bring the blood sacrifice forward and atone for the sins of his people.
That’s a lot, but it shows how serious God takes it when we are going to come close to him. A person taking on the role of an intercessor should do something similar in preparing their hearts for a close encounter with God.
Daniel does this by-
Fasting, sackcloth, and ashes—these are symbols of mourning and repentance.
Before you think- this is way to intense for me- I’m tapping out, this isn’t for me-
Jesus has done much of the ritual cleansing for us. However, we can pull from this some things that are useful for our prayer life.
One of the things is fasting.
Fasting helps bring our fleshly existence under the control of our spirit. It expresses our seriousness in bringing every part of our lives under the control of the HOLY SPIRIT.
Throughout biblical history, people would fast before and during times of intense prayer.
Moses fasted before receiving the 10 Commandments,
Esther fasted before she went into see the king to appeal for the safety of the Jews.
Jesus HIMself fasted for 40 days before beginning his ministry.
Many times, people in the bible would go so far as to don sackcloth- like a burlap sack that would be uncomfortable and throw ashes on themselves as a sign of deep remorse and repentance of known sin.
Illustration-
To illustrate the reason why a person would prepare themselves for this time of intense prayer and fellowship with God can be seen this way-
Imagine a farmer planting seeds without tilling the soil and then returning a few months later and finding an empty field. Does he have a right to be disappointed that his work didn’t produce anything?
No, the soil needed to be prepared before the seed was sown.
So it is with intercession. This is why this preparation time is so important- it removes the distractions of life so we can hear God’s voice and share in HIS presence. Preparation positions us to hear from God and to share his deep secrets. Preparation time is meant to humble us, and create a desperation for HIM and HIS presence- showing that we want HIM more than anything on this earth.
This is why Daniel tills the soil with fasting. He is clearing away pride and self-righteousness so God’s mercy can take root.
Church, when we intercede, let’s start like Daniel—fasting in humility and repentance.
Pushing down our fleshly desires helps us understand God’s heart and HIS sorrow for our sin, and the sin in our families, our cities, our states, and our nation. It’s only when we get low that we can watch God release HIS spirit in revival, and take back the ground that the enemy has occupied for years.
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The second thing important to intercessory prayer is
Point 2: Persistence in Seeking God’s Will
Now look at verses 7-19. Daniel’s prayer builds: “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame… We have not listened to your servants the prophets… Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act!”
Daniel is persistent, passionate, and specific.
Daniel isn’t throwing up a quick, “God bless Israel.”
Daniel digs into God’s character—His righteousness, mercy, and covenant love—and pleads based on God’s promises.
Daniel has read Jeremiah 25 and 29, and knows the 70 years of exile are ending, but he doesn’t assume it’s automatic.
He cries out to God- pointing out to God what HIS word says and having the faith to pray God’s promises back to HIM.
This is intercession: not giving up, not getting distracted, but pressing in until God moves.
In our Pentecostal heritage, we believe in praying through—staying on our knees until the Spirit confirms the breakthrough. Daniel models this. He’s not discouraged by Israel’s failures; he’s driven by God’s faithfulness.
Daniel is relentless because he knows God’s will is restoration, and he won’t stop until it comes.
Illustration: A modern example of an intercessor is George Müller. He was a 19th-century British evangelist who cared for thousands of orphans. That’s only part of his incredible story.
Müller was a man of deep, persistent intercessory prayer.
After this death, they read his prayer journals, and we see that he prayed for all of his unsaved friends daily.
George didn’t always see answers quickly—one took five years, another ten, others- decades. Müller died with one person on his list still unsaved, but that man came to Christ at Müller’s funeral!
That shows us a key point about being an intercessor-
Persistence in intercession isn’t about our timeline; it’s about trusting God’s. (repeat)
Like Daniel, Müller prayed God’s promises until God moved.
Friends, let me ask you- who is on your heart?
Who are you interceding for? A wayward child? A hurting friend? A broken nation? Don’t give up! Daniel persisted because he knew God’s heart.
As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us into God’s will (John 16:13)—pray it, and then pray it again.
There is an acronym to help us remember this-
PUSH= Pray Until Something Happens. (repeat)
The reason we need to learn to push is that sometimes things need more than a 30 second prayer.
We this in the Gospels- You remember when the disciples in Mark chapter 9 tried to cast a demon out of a young man, and the evil spirit didn’t move and then in response to their prayers tried to kill the boy by throwing him into a seizure. Jesus had to come and rebuke the demon, and when the disciples asked Jesus why the demon wouldn’t obey them like the others they encountered, Jesus replied, “these only come out by prayer and fasting.”
What Jesus is referring to here is intercession.
The reason that some things only move with intercessory prayer is that-
There are some things so deep, so ingrained, and demons so powerful, who have been habitating people and situations so long that they are deeply dug in that it requires intercession to break that hold.
This is why we need to learn to PUSH-
PUSH-pray until something happens.
Let’s close by looking at the power released when we really PUSH our way into God’s presence.
When we push, God responds-
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Point 3: Power Released Through God’s Response
In verses 20-23 we will see heaven’s response
Dan 9:20-23 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God concerning the holy mountain of my God?—? (21) while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, reached me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering. (22) He gave me this explanation: “Daniel, I’ve come now to give you understanding. (23) At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God.
Here’s the payoff to intercession: God answers! He not only answers, but HE brings HIS presence and power into the situation.
My brother is 5 years younger than I was when he was coming up behind me in school.
While I was mostly quiet, shy, reserved and introverted, he was an extrovert with a big mouth. The problem is- his mouth was constantly writing checks his size couldn’t cash.
In came big brother and given everyone knew I was into competitive martial arts at the time, no one wanted to mess with me.
I never had to fight anyone, just me showing up was enough to get my brother out of trouble.
Jesus is our big brother, and not only is HE a really big big-brother, but you should see his Father!
The best part, his Father is also our Father, and when He shows up the fight is over. When any member of the Godhead walks into a situation, they bring the whole arsenal of heaven with them, because they are the power.
When we pray until something happens, heaven moves. We see it here in Daniel.
While Daniel’s still praying, Gabriel arrives with a message—not just for Daniel, but for all God’s people, revealing the prophecy of the 70 weeks. This is why PUSHing in prayer releases the supernatural into our lives!
And into our situation.
Look at this- Gabriel says Daniel’s prayer triggered this response (v. 23: “As soon as you began to pray, a word went out”).
That’s a key point about prayer. However, God’s answers might be no, yes, or wait.
Why the wait?
Sometimes that waiting can be because of spiritual warfare that has to be overcome.
In Daniel 10, Daniel is praying for 21 days and it doesn’t seem like God is answering. Finally, Gabriel again comes to Daniel and explains that God released the answer to the prayer as soon as he begun to prayer, but the very spirits Daniel was praying against resisted Gabriel’s mission to Daniel, until the Archangel Michael came and beat those spirits back.
That’s why we PUSH when we pray.
This shows us that God will move when someone dares to stand in the gap and intercede for a breakthrough.
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Conclusion
As we close, let’s reflect on Daniel 9:3-23. Intercessory prayer isn’t passive—it’s active, costly, and mighty. Daniel prepared with humility, persisted in God’s will, and saw power released. Church, God’s calling us to stand in the gap today—for our families, our communities, our world.
Maybe you’re thinking, “I’m no Daniel.” Neither am I! But we have the same God and the same Spirit.
Start small—pray for one person this week with fasting and faith. Watch God move. Let’s be a church that intercedes, believing for miracles, trusting in God’s mercy.
Finally, this is about intimacy with God. God is calling us to come close in these last days and experience HIS goodness, HIS power, and His provision as we watch the events of biblical prophecy come to pass before our very eyes.
Prayer (Lean Back)
