Daniel 9:1-19

“Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” (Daniel 9:3, ESV)

How much good can one person accomplish? If that person is on his own, he cannot accomplish much, but if he can garner the support of others, then he can accomplish much. What if he gains the support of Almighty God? With infinite power there is no limit to what we can accomplish. Daniel understood this principle. From the days of his youth, he observed the power of prayer in receiving God’s help.

Now Daniel was an old man. He perceived from the writings of Jeremiah that God had decreed seventy years of Babylonian captivity, and the time was almost up. But rather than being complacent about this, Daniel saw this as an opportunity to advance God’s purpose in restoring His people back to their homeland.

Daniel knew that they had sinned. Even though the Bible doesn’t record a single sin of Daniel, he personally identified with the sins of his nation. He realized that God had been righteous in His judgments against them. He had done what He said through Moses that He would do if they turned away from Him to worship other gods. Now they had suffered punishment, but they also had the hope of God’s promises. Therefore, Daniel interceded for his nation that God would be merciful to them, honor His word, and bring them back to Jerusalem. This was not a casual prayer, but Daniel intensely prayed, denying himself by fasting, wearing sackcloth, and throwing ashes on his head as a sign of deep mourning. This is what we might call serious, serious prayer, and it is what obtains God’s help and moves His hand.

Likewise, I believe that intercessory prayer is the great need of our nation. We need people like Daniel who will take God at His word and fervently plead for His help to heal our nation. As you listen to this podcast or read Daniel 9, ask yourself, “How can I stand in the gap and intercede for others?” Then set aside uninterrupted time today to do it. How much good can you accomplish? God only knows.