Page 9 - October 2024 - Truth & Tidings

tempt to divorce himself from the national tion and temple. God, through the angel,
condition. Although righteous himself, will address these very three things in His
he humbly represented the nation in the response. This is all about Israel and not
presence of God. about us.
It is also noteworthy that this is the only We have an insight into the intensity of
chapter in Daniel where the name of Jeho- Daniel’s prayer as we hear him pleading,
vah is found (seven times). Daniel, wisely, “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord,
is reminding God that He has revealed hearken and do; defer not” (v19). Daniel
Himself to the nation as a covenant-keep- is in earnest, and he will not let go of God.
ing God. He was calling upon God to be How anemic our prayer life appears when
true to His faithful character. Every word measured by this man of prayer!
and phrase of Daniel’s intercession reveal
his knowledge of God. The better we know Its Paradox
God, the more effectively we can pray. By this time in the article, there is likely
His Acknowledgment more than one reader who is asking, “If
Daniel catalogues the nation’s disobedi- God promised to restore His people after
ence, defiance and departure. Listen to his 70 years, why did Daniel have to pray for
recitation of their failure: “We have sinned, it?” I thought you would never ask. The
and have committed iniquity, and have cynic will add to this that if God has al-
done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by ready ordained the ends, why do we bother
departing from thy precepts” (v5). Then he praying? What good can it do?
adds, “Neither have we hearkened unto But we have to remember that God has
thy servants the prophets” (v6). The failure not only ordained the ends, but He has also
was all one-sided and belonged to the na- ordained the means to that end. Prayer is
tion. In contrast, “righteousness belongeth
unto thee” (v7). He justifies God for all that one of the means that God uses to effect
has happened to the nation in her captivity. His ends. He gives us a share in His work
He is literally worshiping the hand that by allowing us to pray and accomplish
sent him into captivity 70 years earlier His purposes. In prayer, God allows us to
despite his own separation from its evil! “partner” with Him in His work on earth.
He owns as well that “confusion of faces” So, we can think of prayer as an exercise
was their portion (vv7,8), but righteousness that does not get my desires done in heaven
belongs to God. but accomplishes God’s will on earth.
His Appeal Though we cannot fully understand how
His appeal is directed to God and based prayer integrates with God’s sovereign
on mercy and the faithfulness of God (“for ways, we are encouraged, exhorted, even
thy great mercies,” v18). God is the hope of commanded to pray. It was a praying Dan-
His people – and He alone. It is crucial to iel, representing the nation, who fulfilled
notice that for which Daniel is praying. He the requirement for repentance that led to
makes supplication for the people (Israel), restoration.
the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the As we shall see in the next article, it was
Temple). No amount of spiritualizing can to a man praying that God revealed that He
possibly transmute this into meaning the is able to do “exceeding abundantly above
Church. His concern is for the people, na- all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20).

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