Deeper Reflection
There are important lessons on prayer that we can glean from Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9.How Daniel prays: The starting point of Daniel’s praying was the Word of God (v.2), for the Word of God was the basis for his prayer. Daniel prayed with humility – “with fasting, sackcloth and ashes” (v.3), and intensity – “I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him” (v.3), even to the point of “extreme weariness” (v.21). What Daniel prays: Having confessed much of Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness, Daniel appealed to God’s “great compassion” that He might turn His anger away from His people and forgive their sins, to shine His face on His desolate sanctuary and to “take action” according to His promise of restoration from exile (Dan 9:16-19; v.2 with Jer 29:10).How God answers: Daniel received God’s response to his prayer “while I was still speaking in prayer” with a visitation of the angel Gabriel (v.21). In fact, God began to answer Daniel’s prayer when he began to pray: “At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued” (v.23). This shows how readily God is to answer our prayers. God is our Heavenly Father who knows our needs before we ask Him (Matt 6:8). But God’s readiness to answer does not mean God answers immediately. It is God’s sovereign prerogative as to when and how He answers our prayers. We can be hoping in God’s Word and waiting for God to answer our prayer until we are like the Psalmist: “I feel exhausted, waiting for Your salvation”¹¹ (Psa 119:81).

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¹⁰ Psalms 3:3; 145:18; 143:1; Matthew 7:11 ¹¹Translation by Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101-150, Word Biblical Commentary, 21 (Word Press, 1983), 130