"The Gospel According to Daniel"
Lesson 10 - Cast Your Care Upon God
Daniel chapter 9 contains one of the most famous prayers in the Bible. This prayer is a heartfelt cry from Daniel calling out to God. There are many valuable lessons we can learn today from studying this prayer.
Let's read Daniel 9:1-21 together.
Daniel was studying the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning Jerusalem's captivity in Babylon (Jeremiah 24:1-14). Daniel was studying the Bible, which at that time were the scrolls written by Moses and other prophets like Jeremiah. Do you know why Daniel was praying toward Jerusalem in Daniel 7:10? He was claiming a promise God made to King Solomon (2 Chronicles 6:36-39; 7:12-22). How did Daniel know that he and his people were living in exile because of their sins? He studied the warning Moses gave to the Israelites if they ever turned away from God to worship idols (Deuteronomy 29:14-29).
This is a good lesson we can learn from Daniel before we even study his actual prayer. If you want to know God's will for your life, then you need to know God's will. If you want to know God's will, then you need to know God. If you want to know God, then you need to read His Word, which is the Bible (Psalms 119:105).
Daniel began his prayer praising God (Daniel 9:4). We should also praise God in our prayers (Psalms 92:1) and give Him glory as we are His creation (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalms 139:14). When we praise God, we reflect upon His character (Exodus 34:5-7; Psalms 118:1; Hebrews 13:5).
Daniel prayed for his people, asking forgiveness for their sins (Daniel 9:5-16). We also need to pray for others and not just for ourselves (Exodus 32:31-32; Matthew 5:44; 2 Corinthians 1:11).
Note that Daniel also included himself as a sinner when he was praying for his people. Even though the Bible recognizes Daniel as a righteous man (Ezekiel 14:14), Daniel still recognized himself as a sinner in need of a Savior (Isaiah 59:2; 1 John 1:9). We are all sinners who fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23; 6:23). When we confess our sins we are admitting we are indeed sinners. We also are admitting that we need Jesus to forgive us and save us (John 3:16; Acts 3:19).
Daniel poured his heart out to God in his prayer, laying all his concerns, anxieties, troubles and heartache upon Him. Jesus encourages us to come to Him and pray to Him, casting our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7; Hebrews 4:16).
Daniel ends his prayer with a final entreaty and still more praise for God (Daniel 9:18-19). In response to Daniel’s prayer, God sends the angel Gabriel to talk to him. Friend, this passage should be a great encouragement to us. God hears our prayers! Daniel’s prayer is a model for us all today. When we pray, we should give praise to God, confess our sins to Him, pray for others, and lay all our concerns, troubles, anxieties, and problems at His feet. God will hear you.
Friend, will your cast your cares upon Jesus and pray to Him daily?
