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So today, we're coming to Daniel and chapter 9 and in particular, we are going to look at the subject of prayer.

Now, how many of you have lost your car keys before, it's a stressful moment, right? Some of you readily raised your hand. It's a stressful moment, right? And there's this lady who not really lost the key, but the key is locked inside the car and she couldn't have access to the key.

Now she is going to have a really, really tough time, because her son is sick at home, and needs her to be back early with the medication, not only that; she is baking a pie, and the pie is already in the oven and if she doesn't get back on time, there will be a fire safety hazard, there will be an explosion in the house and so she was really stressed at the car park, locked out of the car because the key is inside.

She starts to break down, and she starts to cry, and as she cries, she suddenly remembers that her pastor preached about prayer, and so she turned to God in prayer, with tears in her eyes, “God, would you please send someone, to help me?” And as she was praying those words, there stood beside her, a big, burly, strong, man who was dressed in a leather jacket and torn jeans. He has tattoos all over his body and the man said in a rough, rough-y voice, “Hey, Ma'am, What's up with you? Why're you crying?” And she told him the story, “My key is locked inside the car, and I need to go home- my son is sick, the pie's in the oven. Could you help me, please?”

And without a word this man turned around, went to his motor bike, took out a piece of metal, a long piece, and started to twist it, and did something with it, and inserted it between the roof of the car and the window.

And he manoeuvred it somewhat, so that after a few seconds, they all heard a click, and the door swung wide open. The lady was amazed, and her jaw was literally on the floor and … and with great excitement, she says, “Thank you sir! You're God's answer to prayer! You must be a good man, a Christian man or an angel!”

And the man says with his puffy voice, “No, ma'am, I'm not a good man; I'm not even a Christian. I'm not an angel. You see, I'm an ex-con, I just got out of prison.”
And this woman lifted her eyes and says, “God, You're so good, you sent me a professional.”

I don't know about you, but sometimes prayer works like that; often times, we do not know.

Well, today we're going to look at the subject on prayer and as we begin looking at this subject, I want to, in a sense, pre-empt some questions Christians have about prayer.

Maybe, these are the questions you've asked before. I know I need to pray. But, will God really answer my prayer? I've asked these questions in my life, and so, I trust maybe this will cross your mind too.


WHY DOESN’T MY PRAYER WORK?
I mean, I've shot thousands of prayers, but it doesn't seem to work. Why? Or how do I know if what I pray is God's will?

Now, we here in church, you must pray in the will of God, but how would I ever get to know God's will? Or maybe this is a question that bugs you.

The Bible tells me, God is sovereign, He is in control, He knows the end from the beginning, and if God is sovereign, why should I pray? A link to this question would be this.

Isn't His will always done anyway? He's sovereign, so, why do we pray? Now these are the questions I hope we will look at, and answer in Daniel chapter 9.

You see, Daniel 9 records the prayer of a wonderful prayer warrior.  His name is Daniel. We looked at his life sometime ago, when he was thrown into the lions' den.

Why was he thrown into the lions' den? Because he insists that he will pray. Kings around him, or the people in power around him, wanted him to stop praying. But he says, “No, I've got to pray, prayer to me is a matter of life and death. And even if I were to be thrown into the lions' den, I will pray, faithfully, 3 times a day - morning, noon, evening.”

So, here is a great man of prayer and we are going to see the only extended, recorded prayer of Daniel in Daniel chapter 9.

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I frankly believe that Daniel chapter 9 is perhaps the greatest Old Testament passage on prayer”
[John Macarthur]


This is a precious passage of Scripture. You see, John MacArthur, a well-known preacher, he says, “I frankly believe that Daniel chapter 9 is perhaps the greatest Old Testament passage on prayer.”

That's quite a statement, thinking that there are so many prayers recorded in the book of Daniel, or in the Old Testament, and he says this is probably the greatest passage on prayer.

So, this morning we're going to look at chapter 9, and to try to learn what it means to pray the Daniel way. If you want to learn how to cook, you should watch the masters do it. Maybe Gordon Ramsay or pastor Mike Reddick. If you want to learn how to play tennis, you watch Roger Federer do it. You want to learn music; you look at a Maestro. You want to learn art, you look at the masters. If you want to learn prayer, learn from those who really know how to pray. Daniel is one such man, and so let's learn today, to pray the Daniel way.

I'm going to give you some checkpoints for you to assess your own life, to look at your own prayer life because if you are asking, Why isn't my prayer being answered? How do I know if I'm praying God's will? Will God even answer my prayer? I think these pointers that are unique and so wonderful in Daniel's prayer, in chapter 9 will help you if you take it to heart.


1] FOUNDATION
So let's begin, let's look at the prayer that Daniel made in chapter 9, it begins with these words or with this one point - Foundation.


In the first year of Darius ..., I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.
(Daniel 9:1-3 ESV)


Let's learn point number 1, the foundation of Daniel's prayer, "In the first year of Darius, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years."

So Daniel is reading his Bible. He's doing his daily devotions, may be in the morning, he opens up a copy of the Bible that he has and he sees that God has already declared, Israel or Judah will be exiled to a foreign nation because of their sins. So Jerusalem will be left in desolation. It will be left in ruins.

Why? Because the people of God, disobeyed God, went after idols, and God says, “I'm going to chastise you. I'm going to punish you. You will be a captive people to another country.” And, so, that's what happened to Daniel and his people.

Jerusalem is left in ruins, in desolation. But this is not forever, because from Jeremiah- God said to the prophet Jeremiah, “That this punishment is for a limited time only. It's like a special offer, for limited time only. How long? 70 years.”

This week my son was naughty, and I sent him to his naughty corner. First time, all right, I usually don't send him to the naughty corner, but this week, he was really naughty, sent him to the naughty corner, outside in the balcony and locked the door and I said to him, 'Shawn, you'll be there forever….” [No, no, of course, not forever, not forever], “…you're going to be there for one hour. You'll be there for one hour to think about what you have done and whether it is right or wrong.

God sent Jerusalem, Israel to their naughty corner. Their naughty corner is 1st under the Babylonians, and now in the 1st year of Darius to the Medo-Persians. So 70 years is the stipulated time. Guess, how many years have passed, when it is the 1st year of Darius. There are not many people who know, it is now 67 years. So, Daniel sees - “Ei, God said 70 years, it's up.”

He's like my son now, when the hour's about up.  Of course he can't keep his time yet, but I'm sure he'll be keep looking at, “Daddy is it time? Is it time?”

And Daniel realized it's about time. 67 years.  It's just 3 years away and that gives him excitement, motivation and inspiration to do what? To pray.

In verse 3 we are told, then, after I realized this, after I read this, after I discovered it's going to be soon, then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking Him by prayer.

The lesson here is very simple. What is the basis for Daniel's prayer? What inspired him to pray? What is the foundation of his prayer? Very simple. The Word of the Lord.

The foundation for true prayer is the Word of God, not your own wishful thinking, nor your own selfish desires. But what God has said.

Let me give you DreamWorks animation, you remember that last week, all right? Ok, DreamWorks animation starts with Scripture. Prayer start with Scripture, you look at the Bible, you get what God has to say. And then when you see your situation, far away from Biblical reality, you realize, there's a tension, there's a gap, there's a distance between what God wants, what God plans, what God desires and what is happening today.

So, with this tension arises the compelling need to pray and prayer is for the purpose of bringing Scripture and situation nearer and nearer until they meet.

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Ok, DreamWorks animation, Can or not? Okay, so the whole idea I'm trying to convey to you is that Scripture is the basis, the inspiration, the motivation of our prayer.

It's when you see, and you know, this is God's will and this is what is happening, that there will be a desire, and determination from your heart to seek the Lord in prayer.

Maybe I'll turn it the other way, make it like spectacles. This is what you see, you see, you see Scripture, you see a situation and when you grasp this, it arises within your heart, a desire, and it's expressed in prayer.

There is this great man of faith who refused to solicit any sort of funds or ask money from men for many years of his life, in order to run an orphanage and to support the work of missions. He is well known in Christendom, and his name is George Mueller.

George Mueller says that when he started out praying, he struggled. He says, “Every time I want to pray, I find that my mind wanders off.”

I don't know about you, but when you pray does your mind wander off? You pray, halfway you think about your “chay kueh teow” [stir-fried rice cake strips - a popular Chinese noodle dish], you think about your soccer game. You think about what you've to do later today, you think about all these things and soon you started in prayer, but your mind wanders off somewhere.  Worse still, you do not know what you pray is really God's will.

And for 10 years, George Mueller says, “I have struggled in my prayer life, until I discovered or I changed the way I had my daily devotions.” Instead of starting with prayer, he says, “I start now with the Bible. I open my Bible. I read the Bible and almost as a natural response, what ever I read, I convert it to prayer, whether it is to praise, whether it is to confess, whether it is to pray for myself or my family, whether it's to intercede for others. Whether it is a give thanks.” He says, “It just flows from the pages of the Bible.” And he says, “that is one of the secrets to his successful, focused and productive prayer life for the next 40 years.”

7 million pounds - he recorded, were raised not by going to people for fundraising, but simply by faith and prayer.

It is said that, when he has a need in his life, he doesn't pray his need immediately, he doesn't pray his situation immediately, but he searches the Scriptures. He looks for a promise in the Bible and he sees the situation, he sees the Bible and he brings it together in prayer. When he sees a Bible passage relevant to his situation, he'd put his finger to the text and pray, “God, this is your promise. I plead for your mercy, I plead for you to fulfill Your Word.”

See, George Mueller is a great example of prayer, because he's a man who has a rock solid foundation in God's Word.


If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
(Jesus, John 15:7 ESV)

Jesus Himself told us, “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Scripture and prayer tie together. Let the Word shape your mind. Memorize the Scriptures, hide it in your heart, and as your mind is renewed by the Word of God, it guides you in prayer, it is the foundation for true prayer.

So Daniel here says, “I read and now I pray. I saw in the Scriptures and now I supplicate to God. I pray towards my God.” And if you read the prayer of Daniel, it is filled with the Bible - references from Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalm and Jeremiah will be throughout his prayer.

This is a man who's brimming with scriptural reality because his foundation is God's Word. So this is the question.


HOW DO I KNOW IF WHAT I PRAY IS GOD’S WILL?
How do I know if what I pray is God's will? My very simple answer: Not for you to sit around and wait for signs and wonders and visions and dreams.


PRAY THE SCRIPTURES INTO YOUR SITUATIONS
God has already spoken. If you want to know the will of God, then pray the Scriptures into your situations and that's what Daniel did.

He prayed God's Word into Israel's situation in captivity and he says God, “You said 70 years. We have 3 years more. Do what you have promised God, this is Your will.”

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So, point number 1 in your prayer life, I ask you to consider. How's your foundation? What do you ask? What is the basis by which you pray towards God? It's a critical fundamental reality you've got to grasp from Daniel's prayer.


FERVENCY
But the 2nd point that we note in Daniel's prayer life is not only his foundation, but note his fervency. He's absolutely passionate about his prayer; he's committed to prayer.

In the first year of Darius …. I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
(Daniel 9:1-3 ESV)

It's not hard to see when he says, “I turned my face to the Lord God, and I sought Him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” Wah! Fasting is very hard for Singaporeans, one meal don't eat can die really, cannot pray.

Well, I think he fasted; he put on sackcloth, which is of material that is very uncomfortable. He puts on ashes, just to remind him of the depth of the mourning and humility that he should come towards God.


O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”
(Daniel 9:19 ESV)

He was really serious about it and look at the words, he says, “Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not.” Well, this is strange right, if you think about it.

If I was Daniel and I was not really scripturally aligned, I would be saying this, “God, I read in Jeremiah that you will come and deliver Israel in another 3 years. Thank you.” And I'd move on. I wouldn't even need to pray because you already promised. So why is there a need to pray? Don't you think that would be our response, if God said He would do it, then He will do it lah, then why do I bother to pray?

But it's very strange because in this passage, Daniel read that God would do it, but he is so fervent in praying, he puts on sackcloth, he puts ash, and he pleads with God, and says, “God, do it. Don't delay. Do it. Don't delay!”

Why is he so fervent?


IF GOD IS SOVEREIGN, WHY SHOULD I PRAY?
The question is, “If God is sovereign, why should I pray?”


ISN’T HIS WILL ALWAYS DONE ANYWAY?
I mean He's going to do it anyway. And this question, not properly answered, has actually led many of us to be very passive in our prayer life. We say, “Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be. God is sovereign, God is almighty.” He says, “He will do it, He will do it lah.” So I don't have to pray.

In fact I don't even need to evangelize since He is so sovereign, He can choose whoever He wants to save, and because He is sovereign, I don't know to read the Bible because He told me that's His will anyway, and you realize, when we don't answer this properly, we get into a very fatalistic passive, take-it-for-granted kind of a Christian life, that is not in line with people like Daniel.

Yes, God has said He will do it, but He still prays; Why? Isn't this another question? Isn't His will always done, anyway? And, if His will is always done anyway, then why bother to pray?

Maybe I'm a weird guy lah, I think about these things; I hope you do too, but what's the answer to that? It's not easy, but let me just ask you a simple survey question, all right?

In fact, two questions.


DOES PRAYER CHANGES GOD’S WILL?
Number 1, and this one, you got to respond lah; it's only yes or no. So raise your hand at least once, all right?

Make a decision, make a choice. I wouldn't remember who raised hands, I won't mock you for life, if you get it wrong, but does prayer change God's will? Think about it. Does prayer change God's will? I put it precisely in words.

So, does prayer change God's will? Ah, this is my personal view from the Scripture, you can agree or disagree with me, but I think you've got to have backing from Scripture to disagree, lah. So, does prayer change God's will? My answer, to you is ‘No’; I believe prayer doesn't change God's will. Why?

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Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
(James 1:17 ESV)

Let me show you some verses that tell me why. For example, James 1:17: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change"

Our God is not capricious. He is not fickle. He doesn't change. If He's sovereign, He knows the end from the beginning. In fact, He not only knows, He controls the end from the beginning; there is no Plan B with God because He is always plan A with God.

He doesn't need the counsel of men, to change His might. He doesn't need you to improve on His ideas. He is God. There is none beside Him, not even 2nd; He is way, way, way, above.


For I the LORD do not change”
(Malachi 3:6 ESV)

The Bible also tells us, "For I the LORD do not change" - Malachi 3:6.


God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.”
(Numbers 23:19 ESV)

And also in numbers 23: it says, "God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind." We are all-familiar with making plans and changing plans, right? Sorry, you can't make it, you can change it lah, but not God.

He doesn't change His mind.

So I suggest to you, prayer doesn't change God's will. Now, that's the thing, you say, “If God doesn't change God's will, then why are you praying?”



DOES PRAYER CHANGES THINGS?
Let me ask you a 2nd question, it may help you discern better. Does prayer change things? Different, right? One is - Change God's will; the other one is - Change things.

Does prayer change things? All right, the answer is sometimes, the minority is correct. But, in this case, the minority is not correct, all right?

Does prayer change things? The answer is yes. Why?


Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
(Matthew 7:7-8 ESV)

Bible says, Ask and it shall be given, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. If you still don't get it, everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks, finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

So, God is saying, things change in response to prayer. You don't receive, because you didn't ask. But if you ask you receive. So, prayer does change things.


You do not have, because you do not ask.
(James 4:2 ESV)

How about this? You do not have, because you did not ask.

So, is prayer important? Sure. Does prayer change things? Absolutely. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

So, if you put these 2 questions together, it may help you clarify. Does prayer change things? Yes, so, prayer changes things, but prayer doesn't change God's will.

So, when you pray, and things change, it's not because you change God's will, but it was God's will in the 1st place, already.

So if I may put it this way, prayer changes things in conformity or in accordance to God's will. You say, “If I don't pray, I don't get?” Yeah! That's God's will, that you did not get. “Then like that, how would I ever get to know God's will?” The issue is - you'll never know God's will, in that sense.

That secret will of God will not be known, but hear this, prayer changes things, absolutely, but it is in absolute conformity to the will of God.

If I put it another way, it will be this: things change because - Why do things change? Because you? You pray, but at the same time, things change also because … God? God what? God wills it to be so.  It is both equally true at any one time or finally, I would say it this way. It is all up to you; you have not because you ask not. Ask and you receive, it is all up to you, but at the same time equally, it is all up to God.

So, Daniel was a man who didn't drift to fatalism or taking things for granted because he knows God is sovereign. No, he knows God is sovereign, but it is equally all up to me to pray now.

God has determined 70 years, but let me get on my knees and pray. That's what he did. He turned his face to seek the Lord and says, “Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, you are sovereign. Do it. You are sovereign. Do it. And I believe my prayer, in your mercy is included in the plan to bring about restoration to Jerusalem.”

Your family members are not saved, what do you do? “Ah, God already has his elect lah, no need to do anything lah.”

Is that the way you live your life? You're in danger! Any theology that leads you to pray less is bad theology. Any theology that leads you to evangelize less is bad theology.

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Yes, we extol the sovereignty of God, because the Bible extols the sovereignty of God, but it doesn't abdicate us of the human responsibility any bit. It is all God. It is all me.

Prayer doesn't change God's will, but prayer does change things in accordance to God's will.

And Daniel absolutely understood it. His prayer is remarkable for his foundation; his prayer is remarkable for fervency. Even though, and especially because God has promised, he says, “Let me apply myself now fervently to praying God's will to be done.”


FAVOUR
Let me move on to point number 3.

What is remarkable in Daniel's prayer is also the favor that he asks for. He doesn't come with arrogance or pride. In fact, he comes recognizing he is a nobody, nation of Israel is a nobody, and he needs favor, mercy and grace. That's what he said.


To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him
(Daniel 9:9 ESV)

The Bible says, “He sought the Lord by prayer and pleas for mercy.” It goes on, "to the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness".


For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.
(Daniel 9:18 ESV)

In verse 18, he says, "Because of your great mercy".


Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive.
(Daniel 9:19 ESV)

In verse 19. He says, "Lord, hear, O Lord, forgive". You realize something?

Daniel did not blame God for the situation Israel is in, he did not start complaining, "God, why do you always “tekan” [a malay word,c ommonly used to describe being abused or scolded.] us? God, you don't love us!"

No, if you read Daniel 9, privately by yourself after the service today, you'll realize Daniel keeps saying this, “God, you are righteous, it is our fault. God, you are just, and we deserve it. God, you are a good God. But we've messed up. God, you gave us prophets but we did not listen to you. God, it's all our fault and I come asking for mercy and forgiveness.”

You know why, sometimes your prayers do not get answered? Because you come to God complaining about Him, and you never search your own self. If the cause of the problems in your life is your own sin.

It's like my son in the naughty corner. I mean if he's done wrong, would you think I would listen to him if he is at the door, and, "Daddy! It's all your fault. You locked me there. Daddy you better change. It's all your fault." Do you think I would open the door? Now, does it mean I hate my son, putting him there? No, I love my son. But I want him to learn and till he says, "Dad, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," he will not get out of his prison.

It's so often we come to God, saying, “God, it's your fault.” No! Look at the posture of Daniel, absolute humility, because he recognizes God for who He is. He puts on all these acts of humility to remind himself.

I find that in our day and age, in the modern church today, we like to talk about man's goodness, how capable we are, how good we are and we talk about the grace and the mercy of God in an imbalance way, till we come to God, without a realization of who He is, how great He is, and how small we are.

And as a result of that, very few of us come confessing our sins, searching our hearts. Very few of us come with reverence and brokenness and I realized that in America they celebrate- no, they don't celebrate; they have this National Day of Prayer on every 1st Thursday of May. So it happens to be May 1st this year, and so, I was curious. I wanted to find out what is this all about.

And actually, this started in 1775, that's about 200 over years ago, and the original leaders of the nation said, “We need to have a national Day of prayer for what? They say this is to be "a day of public humiliation, fasting and prayer; that we may, with united hearts and voices, unfeignedly confess and deplore our many sins; and offer up our joint supplications to the all-wise, omnipotent, and merciful Disposer of all events; humbly beseeching him to forgive our iniquities, to remove our present calamities, to avert those desolating judgments."

1775, you can go Google the prayers of recent leaders and presidents today, and this part is often missing or rather words to these effects are often missing. In a sense, I'm saying that the realization, for humiliation, brokenness before God is pretty much lost in our generation.

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There is so much we know about the love for God that we have forgotten about the fear of God. And it is sad, because we come now with a spirit that is more like the Pharisee than the publican. You know, the Pharisee says, “God, I thank you, I'm not like them,” whereas the publican says, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Yes, we're all saved by grace, but that doesn't mean we come now to God with arrogance, we come with brokenness, we come with repentance, not complaints and we come rejoicing in the grace, that is found in Jesus Christ.

I ask you how do you approach God in prayer today?


Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
(Hebrews 4:16 ESV)

Hebrews reminds us, we receive mercy and find grace, we come to God's throne in prayer, not because of our goodness, but because of mercy and grace shown in His Son Jesus Christ.

You ask for forgiveness. You ask for divine favor in your prayer life, you come with brokenness and humility. That's the Daniel way of prayer.


FOCUS
But thoughtfully, what is remarkable about Daniel's prayer is that he has a tremendous laser-sharp focus.

Now, what is he focused about? What's the motivation behind all that he prays for? Why does he want Israel to go back to Jerusalem? Why does he want Jerusalem to be set up? So that he can have his own penthouse there? No, I think he has a better penthouse, maybe in, Medo- Persia. Why does he want God to answer?


Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.
(Daniel 9:17 ESV)

The Bible tells us, "Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy,(Why? for me? No) ..for your own sake, O Lord..." He's saying, “God deliver us so that you will be glorified. Do it for yourself.”



O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”
(Daniel 9:19 ESV)

And again in verse 19: Delay not, for your own sake, because your city and your people are called by your name.


Daniel has learned a very important principle of prayer. Prayer is not to get what I want. Prayer is to get what God wants and what glorifies Him.

That is the true hallmark of biblical prayer. Otherwise, you are just having a genie in a bottle, getting him to do what you want.

Daniel says, "It's about your glory, Lord."



And God has an infinite zeal for his own name. He will not let it be reproached and made a byword indefinitely. That is our deepest confidence. God is committed to God. God is committed with explosive passion to the glory of his name and the truth of his reputation.    [John Piper]


I love this quote from John Piper and I share this with you. He said, "And God has an infinite zeal for His own name. He will not let it be reproached and made a byword indefinitely. There will be a time, it will be so, for example, in the captivity of Israel, for example, in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, they are periods of time when He allows His name to be reproached but it will not be so indefinitely, and that is our deepest confidence. God is committed to God. And God is committed with explosive passion to the glory of His name and the truth of His reputation."

Say, why is it that I'm confident, God will answer this prayer? You know why? Because you're praying for His glory.

And because God is committed to God, He's committed with explosive passion to the glory of His name, you can stand sure. He answers your prayer, if it is for His glory.

That's why many of our prayers are not answered. You ask and receive not because you ask amiss, to consume upon your own lusts.

Today, as we share the Bible, I'm not giving you sweet talk, nor positive thinking, I'm not saying that the moment you pray, God will give you all you want. No. I'm saying if you love Jesus, you know how much He has loved you, you would say, "God, I want your glory, more than anything else, I come to church, not so that my needs are all met, but that You will be glorified and even in my prayer life, it is not so that I will have a more comfortable life but that You will be glorified."

And if you live like this and you pray like this, you have prayed the Daniel way. And you can be confident; God is committed to God.

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And that's a search for our hearts. Can we pray for our needs? “Pastor, if you say like that, then I cannot pray anything for myself, lah.” No, no, no … Let me get this back to balance. Is it wrong for you to pray for, if I may put it this way: more pay, job advancement, money enough to pay for your tuition for your kids, for your sustenance?

Is it wrong to pray for these things?


Give us this day our daily bread.
(Matthew 6:11)

No, I don't think so, because, Jesus Himself, says in Matthew 6, verse 11, “Give us this day our daily bread.” And when He talks about daily bread, I believe it is not just about “lor tee” [bread in Hokkien], it’s not just about guardian or sunshine [brands of bread] I think, it refers to sustenance.

All that is needed for sustenance, it is right and needful for you to pray. He says, pray this!


Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)


But folks, this is not a prayer that you take in isolation. Put it in context, the context of giving us this day our daily bread is when we are consumed with the glory of God. It's like a sandwich right in the middle - sandwich between this petition, 'Hallowed be Thy name.'

Please don't read it, “hollow be Thy name', It's not hollow - God. It is, God, may your name is set apart, let it be honored, let it be distinguished, let it be lifted up above all.

“Hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” This prayer is about consumption with the glory of God, and if you don't get it still, He ends off, by saying, this is why we pray - For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever.

True prayer, from start to end is the glory of God and in order for you to live out the glory of God, sure, by all means pray all that is necessary. But your needs are secondary to the pursuit of the glory of God.

I don't think this is a sermon that is very popular with people who do not know Jesus, because, people love to be able to have this thinking that if I just pray whatever I want, God will do whatever I want, but I trust today, if God is working in your heart, you are deeply committed to God as well, because His spirit lives in you and you will say, “Yes, Lord. I want nothing more than your glory and let my prayer be nothing more than the pursuit of Your glory.” That is to be the focus of prayer.


But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
(Matthew 6:33 ESV)

What about Matthew 6, “Seek first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”

Does this mean then that as a child of God, you will never hunger, you'll never suffer? Of course not.

Paul himself suffered famine, starvation, tribulations and pains and persecution.  He went through it all. So this verse is not saying that you will be immune to lack and needs, not at all. You may go through those things, but God is saying, Jesus is saying, “I will give you all you need in order to seek My kingdom, and my glory.”

As far as you are in My will, all this will be provided, but there are times that it is in My will that you will have to suffer.

But you see, if we are consumed of God's glory, it doesn't quite matter then, whether I have enough, whether I'm comfortable, because all that really matters, is that I'm in the will of God pursuing His kingdom.

So my friends, let's pray the Daniel way. You say, “How?” What's so unique about probably the greatest Old Testament passage on prayer?

This Scripture reveals to us, there must be a rock solid foundation, not your own wishes, but the will of God as given clearly in the Bible, there must be a fervency, that does not swing to fatalism, but that you recognize God in His sovereign will involves your prayer as much. And you should be fired up when you look at Scripture and pray.

In Daniel's prayer, we see the need for divine favor. We don't come in our own goodness; we come in His mercy and grace. And finally, we see a razor-sharp focus on the glory of God. But let me end.


FULFILLMENT
Praying the Daniel way, this way will result in a glorious fulfillment.


While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.
(Daniel 9:20-23 ESV)

So, the Bible now goes on, 'While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God'.


See, he is very concerned about God. Jerusalem is God. “While I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, of course, this is the angel Gabriel, who appeared to him as man and you remember him as a PR, marketing, promo guy, coms guy and he says, “… this man, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy, a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.” (Daniel 9:20-23 ESV)

0:41:11.5

Gabriel is saying, “I was activated.” Red alert! "TAANN" [buzzing sound]. The word went out, when you started to pray and God heard your prayer. The word went out and I've flown all the way from the throne of God to you.

How fast is that? Faster than the speed of light, all right? If you calculate, if you read that prayer, it's about 3 minutes lah. Within 3 minutes, what express service. Divine HL- DHL, I don't know.

He flew all the way to the presence of Daniel and reveals the dream, or reveals a vision to him.


Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.
(Daniel 9:24 ESV)

Amazing, kind of a story here, and then he says, “70 weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.”


Just by reading these words, you know this is an amazing vision that is to come. To put an end to the whole world's problem is sin, and there is a vision that tells Daniel how all this will end.  Everlasting righteousness, so, without us going to the details, you know, this is an amazing prophecy.

It is said by many commentators to be the most important prophecy of all the Bible and if you want to know more about this, come back next Sunday; we have no time to look at it today. But here we are introduced to what we will call Daniel's 70 weeks, and why is Daniel receiving this? Because? Daniel … If he didn't pray, he wouldn't have received this. God answers in amazing ways.

Let me tell you this prayer, far exceeds the expectation of Daniel, because I think all Daniel was concerned about is, 'When will we return to Jerusalem? God, do it. Bring us back.” God is saying, “I'm going to do something far better than bringing you back to Jerusalem. I'm going to put an end to sin. I'm going to usher in everlasting righteousness, I'm going to anoint a most holy place. I'm not just going to bring you back to the old Jerusalem, but this is going to be a far better place.”

And God's answers are exceeding, abundantly, above what we even ask or think. And you can't think anything else than see Jesus in this prophecy, and all that is given as a response to prayer.

My friends, let's pray the Daniel way and God will amaze you with answers that bamboozle your mind - exceeding abundantly.

We live today in a modern world, but Daniel is not an irrelevant folk to us. It's a modern look at the ancient book. And as Daniel was able to live strong in his city, we as a church, can live strong in our city. You see, I see a remarkable parallel between Israel in Babylon and the church today in our Babylon. We too, are seen to be a powerless people, don't you know that?

The world looks at the church today, and it laughs at Christians and says, “Christians have as many divorces as non-Christians. Christians are still indulging in pornography like non-Christians. Christians fight, Christians quarrel, Christians can't get together, we don't see any difference.” The world laughs at us. There's shame to God's name, and we're not living out the Gospel life, as we should. You say what is the solution to it all.

It's prayer. We can say, “Yes, God is sovereign and He will mature his church. He will glorify Himself through His church. He will grow His people.” But, let me say He won't do it, apart from prayer. Your prayer doesn't change His will, but your prayer changes things in accordance to His will.

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And as a church we must arise with passion and fervor in prayer once again. Praying that God will revive our hearts, God will revive your family, God will save your loved ones, and God's glory will be manifested through His people. The prayer of Daniel - Foundation, fervency, favor and focus. I pray these words will guide you in your prayer life for the glory of God.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together. We are consumed or we ought to be consumed for God's glory, because He is worthy, He is the Alpha and the Omega, He is the creator of the heavens and the earth; there is none beside Him. We should be consumed with His glory, because there's nothing more beautiful than His glory. There's nothing more satisfying than His glory. We should be consumed with His glory because He gave His Son for you.

So, today, if you're a child of God, I ask you to look at the glory of God and lift your life for His Word, it is always the best for the church. He said, “all things work together for good to them that love God.”

Do you see this? That when He is working out His glory, it is also at the same time, the good, for His people. So, instead of us praying for our selfish desire, seek first the kingdom of God, His glory, his Majesty and all these things will be added unto you.

Ask God today for a radical shift in your life and priorities. Look at Daniel, this man lived to the ripe old age, and what a glorious legacy he has left for us today. What a man! What a prayer! What a life! Let that be yours.

My friends if you're here today for the 1st time, there is a prayer, there's a cry from your heart that you should make, and that prayer is that you would turn from your sin, you will be convicted of your sin, that you would believe in Jesus Christ. You should ask God today, “Lord, bless me with new life.” Ask God today, to change your heart, to make you His child.

In the Words of the Bible, God help me be born again. My friends, Jesus died to pay for your sins, Jesus died to do what you could not do, and He calls you softly and tenderly to leave your sins, to leave even your old life, to deny yourself, and to follow Jesus, to believe in him. My friends, that's the call of God to you today, would you follow Jesus, would you repent and believe, that He is the Lamb of God, God's son who takes away the sin of the world. May God bless you with His Word.

Father, we thank You this morning. We could come to the Bible and learn, not just about prayer, really, but about You, about grace, about glory, about the Gospel and we pray that these lessons will be used by You to strengthen our lives and to draw us nearer to Yourself. Have mercy, as You are, dear God to save those who are here maybe for the 1st time. They need to enter into this life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Man's voice will cease, but dear God, I pray Your Spirit's voice will continue to call and to draw. So, bless Your church, bless Your people here. We thank You in Jesus' Name, Amen.

 

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