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Day 278 Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 “we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 “Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 “O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. 8 “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 “We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 “Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore, the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. 12 “And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14 “Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. 15 “And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly! 16 “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17 “Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 “O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19 “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” (NKJV) What kind of prayers do you pray? Are they general prayers that make you feel good because you prayed, but serve no purpose other than knowing you prayed? Are they focused prayers, praying for specific needs, but without the power of faith backing them up because you don’t believe God will answer? Or are they prayers of faith for the people you know and love, knowing God will answer in His time? For many people, prayer is a gimme list. They see things they want and add them to a list they believe are necessary for their lives and God should give them. Daniel prayed with a heart devoted to God. He never prayed a general all-purpose prayer. He prayed for God’s people to return to Him. He spent time reading the scrolls of the prophets, particularly Jeremiah and his prophecy regarding the return of Israel to Judah and Jerusalem. He prayed a gap prayer, standing in the gap for Israel and the sins they committed sending them into exile. Daniel prayed for God to honor His Word and return Israel back to their homes in the land God promised them. As he prayed, Daniel confessed the sins of the people which led them into exile, and asked God to forgive His people and take them home. As Christians, what kind of prayers do you pray? Is your attention on what you can gain, or on the needs of those around you? You might not be in exile, but nonetheless, you might be far from God. When was the last time you prayed? However, you might be faithful in prayer, seeking God and His mercy to heal the land, and bring loved ones to faith in Jesus Christ. Wherever you stand in prayer, turn your hearts to God. Seek His face, become a gap-stander, and watch God work in ways you didn’t think possible. Watch God turn your faith into a powerful part of your life as you watch God work, changing lives, and bringing them to the cross and eternal life, healing the sick, breaking financial chains, and taking every burden on Himself as you draw closer to Him. Daniel prayed for God to keep His Word and bring His people back to Israel. Pray a Daniel prayer, believing God will answer and change the hearts and lives of the people you know and love. Pray with conviction, knowing God hears you and will answer. Let’s pray: Father, help me be a gap-stander. Focus my prayers on others and not myself. Let me see Your hand working in the lives of those I love, for those I meet, for those I work with, for the down and outers, and the up and comers. Change the direction of my prayer so it is focused where You want it and not on my superficial desires. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 19 March 2022 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay.