Daniel 9:1-3
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
In the first year of King Darius, Daniel reads Jeremiah’s prophecies and realizes that the seventy years of captivity were about to close. Daniel didn’t go out and boast about his insight into God’s word, he went to his knees in prayer. This is the true attitude of a humble believer. It is disappointing when we see God’s prophetic truth making boasters, instead of prayer warriors, out of people. This week let’s commit to a humble focus on prayer.
Daniel 9:4-5
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.
Prayer starts with a heart of repentance. Daniel confesses his own sins and the sins of his people. He takes an honest look back at the sins of his people and confesses that the nation has been wicked and God was right to judge them. Notice Daniel’s heart. He identifies himself with his sinning nation, even though he had not been guilty of these sins. It starts with us.
Luke 4:1-2
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
When Jesus was preparing for a spiritual battle, He fasted and prayed. Are we willing to commit to prayer and fasting?
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through these scriptures?