Daniel on Intercessory Prayer

The following notes are reflections on Daniel’s prayer of intercession for Israel in Daniel 9:3–19. This is an example for us to follow on how to pray for our loved ones and our nation.

Too often, so-called “prophetic intercessors” in the mainstream church spend their time confessing the sins of other people, while asking YHVH to forgive the nation. Instead, they should follow Daniel’s example and confess their own sins and those of the apostate, lukewarm, worldly church of which they are a part and from which these non-profit prophets often greatly profit financially! What’s wrong with this picture?

Verse 3, Set my face to the Lord. Daniel had inclination, a heart’s desire and a will to seek YHVH. Ask and it will given, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened unto you (Matt 7:7).

Verse 3, Prayer…supplication…fasting…sackcloth and ashes. In seeking YHVH, Daniel sublimated his soul (mind, will and emotion) to his personal spirit, so that he could seek YHVH in humility with his spirit, not his soul, in total subjection to and open to the Spirit of Elohim.

Verse 4, Prayed…made confession. He confessed the greatness of Elohim through praise and worship.

Verse 4, His covenants and mercy. Daniel appealed to the past covenants or promises that YHVH had made to his saints. He established legal grounding for his subsequent requests based on the promises and covenants that YHVH had made previously with his people.

Verse 4, His commandments. The Torah is the foundation or basis for all of YHVH’s covenants. When YHVH’s people keep his commandments they are blessed and when they break them he turns his face away from and against his people, and they reap the consequences of their sinful actions which is divine judgment. Only when his people confess their sins and turn their hearts and faces back to YHVH and his Torah will there be healing for the nation (2 Chron 7:14 cp. vv. 17–19). 

Verses 5–16, Sinned and committed iniquities. Daniel then made confession of sin. He didn’t say “they have sinned,”  but “we have sinned.” He included himself, even though he was only a child when taken captive to Babylon and was not personally responsible for Israel’s plight. Though not personally and directly responsible for Israel’s plight of captivity, he was still suffering the consequences of the sins of his forbears, and, in humility, he included himself in Israel’s corporate or national guilt.

Verse 17, Now therefore. Finally, Daniel makes his request known to Elohim. Assuredly, request was made only after much time had passed performing the previous activities.

Verse 20, Now while I was. While speaking, praying, confessing “my” sin and the sin of “my people” and presenting his supplication, YHVH answered Daniel.

 

5 thoughts on “Daniel on Intercessory Prayer

  1. It is amazing what can be accomplished on our knees! Send Him a “knee-mail!” (I can’t take the credit for that, I heard it somewhere)

  2. Some time ago, I read a book about the horrible acts that were committed in Germany before and during world war 2. It was suggested that there was a need for the individual to repent and ask for forgiveness even though the likes of myself weren’t even born then. It seems that somehow, one can be considered guilty by association, like belonging to a particular nation, group etc.
    I immediately repented and asked for forgiveness for the German nation and myself and expect to be repenting for more stuff in the future, as the Ruach HaKodesh brings it to my mind.
    Thanks Natan for preaching Truth!
    Grace and Shalom to all Hoshanarabbah Bloggers.
    Sonja

  3. Wise comments Sonja & John… and Carols made me smile …Knee- mail..what can be accomplished on our knees.. . may I add while we are still young & fit enough to get down & back up off our knees again.. it brings us to a humbling position remembering he Elohim is Much Bigger than all of us and the world & the problems we face..

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