Daniel Prays for His People

Read: Daniel 9:1-19 ESV – Daniel’s Prayer for His People – Bible Gateway

“Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” Daniel 9:3 ESV

Believe it or not, one of the hardest things for Christians to do is to pray. You may be one who believes it from your own experience. Finding the right words to say either in a group or in private holds some people back. Others fear they’re not worthy enough to address God, or He wouldn’t hear anyway. Still others haven’t built that relationship with Him as His children where He welcomes us to simply talk with Him. Scripture has given us several models of prayer to follow for our help, the most notable is Jesus’ example in the Lord’s prayer. The prophet Daniel gives us his exemplary prayer in Daniel chapter 9 to follow.

Daniel’s prayer consists of six elements all to be considered when giving serious thought in wanting to improve our prayer life. He realized Judah’s seventy years of captivity was about to end and petitioned the Lord on behalf of his people. Daniel’s preparation and his prayer shows his reverence for the Lord God. May we take advantage of this prayer to enrich our own prayer life. That’s why it’s there!

1. Humility – v.3, Daniel fasted and covered himself with sackcloth and ashes. (we can skip the sackcloth and ashes)
2. Worship – v.4, ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God’
3. Identified with the people – v.5, ‘we have sinned and done wrong’ 
4. Confession – v.5-15, ‘To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.’
5. Petition – v.16-18, ‘O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake’
6. God’s Glory – v.19, ‘O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.’