Exploring Prayers in the BibleSample

Day 6: Daniel’s Prayer on Behalf of His People

from Daniel 9:1-23

It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

“O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.

“Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice.

“So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin. You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disasters he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.

“O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.

“O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.

“O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.

“O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”

Gabriel’s Message about the Anointed One

I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain. As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.

Reflection on the passage:
When I am overwhelmed by an area of brokenness I see in our country, the American church, my community, or my family, I sometimes find myself praying a “Lord, forgive us” prayer. Even when I might not be directly culpable, I am part of the brokenness because they are my people. This is the kind of prayer - one of confession and petition on behalf of the people - that Daniel prays in today’s passage.

When Persia conquers Babylon and begins their reign, Daniel remembers the prophecy in Jeremiah about his people’s captivity in Babylon ending after 70 years (see Jeremiah 29:10). He hopes that this may mean a soon-coming restoration of God’s people (both Israel and Judah), after all these years of desolation as a scattered and captive people. So he turns to God, pleading on behalf of his people, having prepared himself with fasting and wearing sackcloth and ashes.

The content of his prayer is an example for us. Daniel begins by praising God for God’s awesomeness and covenant of love with His people. Then, he confesses the many sins of his people who repeatedly and egregiously disregarded God’s law and instead followed the practices of other nations. He contrasts God’s righteousness and mercy with the people’s shame, acknowledging they have rightfully experienced devastating judgment. Further, he confesses that even after they experienced the consequences of their sin, they continued to sin. Yet, appealing to God for mercy, Daniel pleads with God to look with favor on the city (Jerusalem) and people that bear His name.

The response to Daniel’s prayer was immediate. The angel Gabriel flew to him while he was still praying and said, “As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you for you are highly esteemed…” (from verse 23).

We may not get as quick a response as Daniel did from an angel messenger, but we know that God hears us and that Christ, the Perfect Lamb, is interceding for us! May we, too, pray in humble repentance and petition on behalf of our families, communities, organizations, and nation.

Prayer Practice: Praying on Behalf of Others
Inspired by Daniel's prayer, here are some steps that may help you pray on behalf of others.

1. Prepare yourself for this prayer with a time of personal confession and consider fasting in some form. Ask God whom he would have you pray on behalf of and to guide your prayers.

2. Praise God for His righteousness and mercy. Thank Him for His amazing love.

3. Confess the sins of the group you are praying on behalf of as you would your own individual sins. Use “we” instead of “they.”

4. Acknowledge the negative consequences that have come from these sins.

5. Ask for God’s forgiveness, proclaiming what He has made available to us through Christ’s death and resurrection. Ask for healing and restoration for this group of people.

6. Pray that God be glorified through His transforming work among these people.