Memory Verse: Daniel 9:9 – “To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.”
Prayer is a blessing granted through the saving blood of Jesus Christ. …all power is given to him in heaven and in earth by our heavenly father. We have a direct line to the throne of God. What a precious gem that we must not deny. Prayer is communing with God. Prayer is very personal. We express our thoughts to the One who knows all about us. We pray become we must pray. Jesus said “that men ought to always pray and faint not.” (Matthew 28:18, Luke 18:1)
Prayer is important to us because:
a. We exercise our faith in the Sovereign God and the saving grace through Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 11:6)
b. We strengthen our relationship and dependence in him. (Colossians 2:7)
c. We praise him and thank him for all things. (Psalms 95:2)
d. We show Jesus that we love him by following his examples. (I Peter 2:21)
e. We have a peace of mind. (John 14:1)
f. We confess our sins, faults, and pray for help with our shortcomings. (Matthew 6:12)
In Daniel 10, verses 1-23 there is: (1)power when we pray and (2)the power that comes from prayer.
Power when we pray. It is very important to pray because we defeat the will of Satan and we deny our human weakness when we cry out to the Sovereign God, who is always ready to hear the cry of his people. “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” Daniel made himself ready to go to God for his urgent request. He had a very good praying habit. He fasted and brought sackcloth and ashes, which is a sign of total dedication. Daniel had begun his prayer with confession. He wanted to make sure that there was no overt or covert sin that had not been confessed to the God Almighty. He interceded for the people and confessed they had sinned by not obeying the commandments of God. He poured out his heart in this prayer, for God’s forgiveness for their iniquities. He asked for mercy and forgiveness for him and the people. He understood why the judgment of captivity was given to the people. (Daniel 9:1-15; Psalms 34:15)
Daniel’s prayer teaches us the important of how to pray. When we pray we do not take for granted that God hears us. The Holy Spirit will even teach you how to pray. In prayer, we should not solely take the time to tell God want we need. Prayer is a time to first acknowledge our Mighty God and Savior. Honor them. This pleases the Lord. “…for he that cometh to God must believe that he is.” Prayer is a time to confess your sins. Many times we forget that we commit sins that we do not think about. All distractions and barriers should be taken away that will cause you to separate. Confession is good for the soul! He may not have committed any sins, but as a result of Israel’s sins, he suffered with them. Prayer is not a time to let go frustrations or to blame others for your sins and mistakes. Daniel was relaxed talking to God, yet very confident in his prayer. We must “come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” (Romans 3:23; Hebrews 4:16)
Power that comes from prayer. Satan does not want us to believe. He knows if we believe we will pray. He knows Jesus will hear our earnest request. A sense of assurance and strength renewal to trust is given in prayer. “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help, my help cometh from the Lord.” As a result, the power that is given to us has allowed us to leave our request at his will. The power of prayer is being aligned with the will of God concerning your life. It is his will that we pray. Daniel did hear from heaven. While he was speaking, Gabriel came with a message that the people will be delivered from captivity. He was delayed because of another matter. This is a very good example of why we need to pray without ceasing. There is a constant spiritual battle. We must be determined in prayer. (Psalms 121:1;Daniel 9:16-23)
In conclusion, we must pray. An electrical cord only has power when connected to an electric circuit. We only have power in prayer, when we are connected to Jesus. We must pray, our life depends on it. “For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” (I Corinthians 4:20)
Pastor Tylvia E. Koromah The Path of Righteousness Church in Christ
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