Daniel 7-9
Devotion by John Tullis (Ohio)
One of the most important Christian disciplines is learning how to pray and to keep praying. For some of us, we learned to pray almost before we learned to walk! For others, we learned about the discipline of prayer later in life after we decided to follow Jesus. Prayer is an incredibly important part of our Christian lives. To pray, or “entreat or implore” (fancy words for asking for something or giving God thanks) is necessary for any Christian. God wants to enjoy a special relationship with you. Praying allows you to express your desires, your faith, your devotion, and love to God. Jesus even took time to teach his disciples how to pray (Matthew 6:5-15).
Daniel understood the importance of prayer. Time and again God had strongly supported Daniel during his captivity in Babylon under several kings. Through it all, God had given Daniel special insight in which to interpret dreams and speak truth to powerful people. In Daniel chapter 9, we see Daniel praying for the people of Judah and for answers about his dreams – which were a series of confusing dreams full of monsters and beasts!
Daniel is also praying for Judah, his homeland with Jerusalem as its capital. For many years, Judah was held in captivity by the Babylonians, Medo-Persians, and Chaldeans. All this time, God faithfully protected Daniel and blessed him. Now, after many years of captivity, Daniel understood that the time was approaching when God would restore the people of Judah to their homeland. Daniel intercedes for his people by praying to God. In his prayer he confesses the sin of Judah to God, declares that only God is righteous, and agrees that they deserve the punishment put upon the nation. But Daniel also thanks God for being a God of mercy. Daniel understood that the punishments of God only come after we reject His mercy. Daniel believed in God’s word and looked forward to the day when God would rescue His people.
However, as he is praying, he is surprised when the angel Gabriel arrives bringing a special message from God (Daniel 9:20-23). The angel declares to Daniel that from the moment he began to pray, the word went forth from God to deliver a special message. The special word from God to Daniel? You are greatly loved (Dan. 9:23). God would declare the interpretation of the dreams, but before anything else, God desired to express His love.
When we pray to God, we often ask God to help us with something, to bless someone else, to bring deliverance or to confess our sins. Whatever the reasons for you to pray to God, the most important thing to realize, whatever the answer to prayer might be, is that God loves you. He loves you because of who you are and for your faithfulness to Him. The message throughout the entire Old Testament can be shortened down to this: God wants you to love him and obey him. We might not get a special visitation by Gabriel, be we can be assured that God hears our prayers, acknowledges our prayers, and lovingly acts upon them.
Questions for Discussion:
- Why was Daniel praying to God? What was he looking forward to?
- What types of things do you believe occur in the “spiritual realms” when you pray to God?
- Why is it important for God to express His love for Daniel before getting into the interpretation of his dreams?
Seek Grow Love 