DN Uncompromising Prayer 3/3/2007

DRAWING NEAR

March 3

Uncompromising Prayer

"In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus . . . I gave
my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer"
(Dan. 9:1-3).

Uncompromising prayer brings glory to God.

Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9:1-19 illustrates the key elements of
effective intercessory prayer. Those elements will serve as the focus
of our studies for several days, but first some background to
Daniel's prayer will be helpful.

Verse 1 says that Daniel prayed in the first year of the reign of
King Darius, the first great king of the Medo-Persian Empire. About
sixty-five years earlier, God punished the sinful kingdom of Judah by
allowing King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to conquer Jerusalem and take
Israelite captives back to Babylon.

Subsequently the Babylonian Empire fell to the Medo- Persian Empire.
Darius conquered Babylon on the night King Belshazzar threw a drunken
festival at which God wrote the doom of his kingdom on the wall (Dan.
5:24-28).

Daniel was among the captives originally transported to Babylon by
Nebuchadnezzar. Throughout the lengthy captivity period he never
forgot he was God's child and always represented God properly despite
his difficult circumstances. He was a man of uncommon wisdom and
courage. His trust in God was unwavering and His commitment to prayer
uncompromising--even when his prayers could have cost him his life
(Dan. 6:4-11).

As a result, God protected him, exalted him, and was glorified
through him--as evidenced by King Darius's decree that everyone in
the kingdom was to fear and tremble before Daniel's great God (Dan.
6:26).

Since Daniel understood the priority of prayer, he refused to be
intimidated or distracted from it. His commitment is worthy of
imitation. Can that be said of you? If everyone followed your pattern
of prayer, would God's kingdom be strengthened?

Suggestions for Prayer:

Consistency is important in prayer. You might try praying for
different requests on specific days. For example, on Mondays you
could pray for your governmental leaders and on Tuesdays for your
pastor and the ministries of your church.

For Further Study:

Read Daniel 6.

What rank did Daniel hold? Why did King Darius want to promote
Daniel? What was the reaction of the commissioners and satraps to
Daniel's popularity? How did they deceive the king? How did God
protect Daniel?

Drawing Near, Copyright c 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.

All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org

~~~


Daniel 9:1-19 (NKJV)
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."

Daniel 5:24-28
24 "Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this
writing was written.
25 "And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN.
26 "This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered
your kingdom, and finished it;
27 "TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;
28 "PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and
Persians."

Daniel 6
1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty
satraps, to be over the whole kingdom;
2 and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the
satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no
loss.
3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and
satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave
thought to setting him over the whole realm.
4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against
Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or
fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault
found in him.
5 Then these men said, "We shall not find any charge against this
Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God."
6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said
thus to him: "King Darius, live forever!
7 "All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps,
the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a
royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any
god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into
the den of lions.
8 "Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that
it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians,
which does not alter."
9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home.
And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he
knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave
thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
11 Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making
supplication before his God.
12 And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king's
decree: "Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions
any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast
into the den of lions?" The king answered and said, "The thing is
true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not
alter."
13 So they answered and said before the king, "That Daniel, who is
one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O
king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition
three times a day."
14 And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased
with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he
labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
15 Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, "Know,
O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree
or statute which the king establishes may be changed."
16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast
him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel,
"Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you."
17 Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and
the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of
his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.
18 Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and
no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him.
19 Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste
to the den of lions.
20 And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice
to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the
living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to
deliver you from the lions?"
21 Then Daniel said to the king, "O king, live forever!
22 "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they
have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also,
O king, I have done no wrong before you."
23 Then the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that
they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out
of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he
believed in his God.
24 And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had
accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions; them, their
children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke
all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the
den.
25 Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages
that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.
26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must
tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God,
And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be
destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end.
27 He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven
and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign
of Cyrus the Persian.

These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.

In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.

If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.

You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:

http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/

and

http://www.gty.org.uk/

You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@xxxxxxx



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In Christ,



Peter

Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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