Daniel's Prayer (Borrowed Prayers from Great Men and Women of God - Week 2)

Do you know that Daniel not only survived the den of lions and interpreted the king's dreams, but was also a man focused on prayer. Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (their Babylonian given names) were dedicated men of God despite their captivity in a foreign land surrounded by worship of other gods. They stood firm against any circumstance that would cause disloyalty to God. That is why their disobedience to the Babylonian king put the friends in the furnace and Daniel in the den of lions. If you have only followed their stories briefly you may be surprised to learn of their faith in prayer. Today the prayer we will borrow will be from the dream interpreter himself, Daniel!

Daniel and his friends were so full of knowledge and understood so much that these foreigners gained high positions among the Babylonians in the king's service. The king even placed Daniel ruler over the entire province of Babylon and in charge of all its wise men after he saw Daniel's ability to interpret dreams. So how did Daniel obtains this gift to interpret dreams when no other wise men could do it?

Daniel 1:17 NIV

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

God gave them knowledge and understanding. Daniel and his friends also prayed to God for help. Read on.

After King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had troubling dreams that kept him from further sleep, he called the Babylonian wise men. These were the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers. The king demanded that they not only interpret his dream but also tell him what he dreamed. They could not. So in his anger threatened to cut them all into pieces and turn their homes into rubble.

They replied.

Daniel 2:10-11

The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”

With this response the king's anger ordered the execution of all the wise men including Daniel and his friends. When Daniel discovered this impending death sentence he ask the king for time, so he could interpret the dream. Why did Daniel assume he may be able to do this huge task above anyone else there?

He believed in calling on God. He believed in prayer.

Daniel 2:17-18

Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.) He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel did not assume anything. He and his friends called on his God and pleaded for help!

Daniel 2:19

During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven

The mystery of the king's dream was revealed to Daniel in a vision from God.

Daniel talked to God, asked for help and received it. The Bible does not say Daniel simply approached the king, trusted God and told the king his dream along with the meaning. No! He asked his friends to plead for mercy from God of heaven concerning this mystery. Why? So that he and his friends would be spared execution. Daniel wanted to be saved from death! His cry to God was for a tool to stop this execution. The tool was a revelation of the king's dream – the only thing that could stop the approaching death sentence.

I don't think Daniel was asking God to reveal these things to him to show others his Godly knowledge and understanding. I personally feel that Daniel was seeking any thing or way to prevent the death of him and his friends.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego called on God (prayed) with an earnest cry for rescue regarding their very lives. They prayed. They prayed with seriousness. They prayed with hope. They prayed knowing their God could indeed save them.

And He did.  Now let's look at Daniel's prayer to God after receiving his answer.

Daniel 2: 19-23
During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:
 
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;

wisdom and power are his.

He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;

he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.

 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,

you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

This is the prayer we will borrow from Daniel this week. This is Daniel's prayer response to God's answers to his danger. God came to his rescue. Now he praises God for it. Daniel lived before the coming of Jesus, his death and resurrection. Daniel and his friends did not yet have the saving power of Christ on the cross.

This week I want you to call on God with your greatest need and plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning it (just like Daniel and his friends did). No your need may not be a cry for deliverance from death, but it is still your sincere need. It will not offend God that your need is not as great as these men. He wants your earnest, heart felt cry for help concerning your particular need. 

 So plead for his mercy concerning your need, however don't wait until you receive the answer to borrow Daniel's praise and thanksgiving prayer. Because we dear brothers and sisters have been saved already. Jesus saved us on the cross. It has been done. Therefore make your plea and go straight to praise as if you have seen the answer with your eyes. 

 Yes plead for his mercy concerning your need and follow by saying “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.” Then say, “I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you.” You get the idea.  You can apply almost all of this prayer to your own unique praise to God. Let Daniel teach you to plead for your need and praise your God.

King David: Who Am I that You Brought Me this Far?

                                                                     By Truly Kernea, Author: God


 Dear Friends,

I recently discovered a prayer in the Bible that touched my heart and soul so much I want to share it with you. I saw the writer’s humble heart and his lovely gratitude to God, and became thirsty for the same. This prayer comes from David, King David. God seems to use David’s words and stories a lot in my writing. I’ve grown to absolutely adore King David with his steadfast love for God, despite his many struggles and even sin. In the book of 1 Chronicles, chapter 17 David has become king over all of Israel, defeated the Philistine’s attempts to capture him, and has now brought the Ark of God to Jerusalem. The Ark of God (also called the Ark of the Covenant) contained the Ten Commandments and the presence of God. After much celebration and rejoicing over the ark’s arrival to Jerusalem, the people have returned to their homes, including David.

After David settled into his palace, he began to think about the fact that he lived in a palace and the Ark of the Covenant (God’s presence) resided under a tent. He then considered building a house for the Ark and for God. That night God spoke to the prophet Nathan with words for David. God’s words to David expressed that he did not want David to build a house for Him. God also spoke to David about his past and his future.

A few things God spoke to David through the prophet Nathan (1 Chronicles 17:3 – 14):

·       I took you from the pastures from following the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel.

·       I have been with you wherever you have gone.

·       Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth.

·       I will also subdue all of your enemies.

·       I will raise up your offspring to succeed you.

·       One of your offspring is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever.

David has just received these words and more from God, reported by Nathan. Let me show you what happened next.

 1 Chronicles 17:16 NIV
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord.
 
King David heard this beautiful revelation from God. He heard it not directly from God but through a prophet. Remember that fact when I bring this lesson full circle. God used a prophet to speak revelation to David.  God used a tool instead of his own voice. After hearing the words, what did David do? He went and sat before the Lord. I love that visual. King David, ruler of all Israel, a powerful military leader with many victories under his belt, sat before the Lord. Do you ever sit before the Lord? Can you just imagine King David sitting before God? Isn’t it a glorious sight? When you sit before the Lord in your quiet time – it is a glorious sight to God and maybe even King David is watching.

King David sat before the Lord and said a prayer. I want you to read the entire 12 verses of David’s prayer (1 Chronicles 17:16 – 27) when you have time, but for now I will share with you only a few of his words for us to focus on in our study.

1 Chronicles 17:16 – 19 NIV
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁷ And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.

¹⁸ “What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, ¹⁹ Lord. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.

 What does this king over Israel say first to his God? “Who am I?” he says. David asked God, “Who am I, that you have brought me this far?” David remembers his humble beginnings as a shepherd. He even remembers that his family was not royalty or special. David humbles himself before the Lord. He does not have great pride and self righteousness in his role of king here. “Who am I?” he asked. David thinks back to his beginnings before anointed by God. He ponders over his family’s former status and place in creation. Then he sees how far he has come. He knows God has brought him to his current place in life.

This type of humility can take you to another level of thanksgiving to God. To see how far you’ve come with God’s grace and love will make thanksgiving easy.  Ask God today, “Who am I?” Say, “Who am I, Oh Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? God has brought you this far dear friend. You were not always here. You did not always seek God’s Word. You do not always trust God. You did not always follow God. You did not always seek new ways to pray to your Father God. You have come this far because of your Heavenly Father! What a marvelous reason to celebrate and rejoice in thanksgiving – to know God has brought us this far! We can give God thanks when we sit before him, humble ourselves and look at how far God brought us. And if that was not reason enough to celebrate, read what wise King David says to God next.

1 Chronicles 17:17 NIV

And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant.

Not only has God Almighty brought you this far, he has also spoken to you of your future. God made promises to David when he spoke through Nathan. God told him of his future. God is spoken promises to you also. You have an entire book of them. You have God’s absolute words and writing at your fingertips. David had God’s words from a prophet, a tool. You have words and words and words – all written at your disposal, a tool. You have the Word of God available at any time – filled with spoken words from God in a format that could not be any easier to apprehend. God tells of your future with Him throughout your Bible. He gives his promises for you. So when David marvels at God’s goodness and giving him a view of the future, you should marvel also. Say the words of David for yourself. Go ahead. It feels good.

 “And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant- me.”
 
Say it. “And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant- me.”

 David received words from God about his future and he considered it a true honor. Read 1 Chronicles 17:17 – 18.

 1 Chronicles 17: 17 – 18
You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.
 “What more can David say to you for honoring your servant?

 These two verses truly humble me. Have I been taking my Bible for granted? Have I reserved it for only available time in the past? Have I not considered it a complete honor to have God’s words at my beckon call? David accepted God’s words to him through a prophet as God honoring him. “What more can David say to you for honoring your servant?” he says. David also says to God, “You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of man.” David does not say this in regards to his position as king and God’s placement of him there. David feels that God has looked on him as the most exalted of man because He shared words with David concerning his future and his family’s future.

 Do you ever see yourself as God’s most exalted because God so generously honored you in this place and time to receive his Word by means of Jesus, the written Word? If David is honored by God, then we are honored even greater. Jesus has come on our behalf. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Yes I want you to say it. You can do it. I don’t care if it feels uncomfortable. This is how to truly give God thanks.

 Say “You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.  “What more can (insert your name) say to you for honoring your servant?

 If you gave your child a very special gift with meaning and from your heart, would you like a response like this one? How would it feel if your child felt that you must look at them as the greatest of people (exalted) because of your gift to them? How would it feel if your child saw the gift was an honor for you to give it to them? It would feel good. So don’t feel in any way modest in these words to God. He wants such deep gratitude from the heart. This type of conversation with God draws you closer to him. This is his great desire. He loves you so much and desires your love in return. And thanksgiving is a tender, humble expression of your love. It carries the nature of your heart.
 
1 Chronicles 17: 19 NIV
For you know your servant,  Lord. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.

David is saying to God “You know me, yet you still brought me this far and now you give me your words of the future.” David knows God did these things for his sake, for David. David is so full of love and gratitude to his heavenly father in these words. Can you hear it? Can you hear his love through each verse as he prays to his Creator? My heart pounds and melts all in these verses. When I hear his love for the Father my heart pounds with a desire to be more like David. When I feel David’s humble nature to his God my heart softens and cries out to do the same. I just adore and respect this prayer of David so much. I hope and pray it is reaching your heart and soul as well.

David says to God “you have done this great thing and made known all these promises.” God did “this great thing.” God absolutely did a great thing. He spoke to David! Not only did God use Nathan to speak to David, God also told David his future and gave him promises. God gave David His promises. The Creator of the universe made promises to David! The Creator of man himself told David what would happen to his family in the future. God Almighty, who brought a flood to destroy everything on the earth except a few chosen ones, shared with David His promises. This is a great thing. When David tells the Lord God that he has done a great thing, David can see the magnitude of it.

God has done a great thing for you also. This week pray David’s prayer every day or more. Sit before the Lord like David did. Simply imitate this great example. David was described by God as “a man after my own heart.” (Acts 13:22). What a great person to follow. I strongly encourage you to write down the words to the prayer yourself. Simply use your name in place a David’s name in the prayer. This is your prayer now. I’m sure David, King David, would want it that way. Humble yourself with the words of love for God in this prayer and your thanksgiving to God will go to a deeper, more intimate place. You deserve it!

 David’s Prayer
 
1 Chronicles 17: 16-19 NIV
¹⁶ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁷ And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.
¹⁸ “What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, ¹⁹ Lord. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.