Daniel 9:4 “And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,”
As Daniel is appealing to God for God’s people with a broken heart let’s not miss the approach as his prayer begins with adoration. He acknowledges to God how great and awesome He is! This acknowledgment goes back to what Moses had said about God in Deuteronomy 10:21 as he stated, “He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen.” David acknowledges the same high description in 2 Samuel 7:23 stating, “And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name — and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land — before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods?” The Psalmist would direct praise in Psalm 99:3 saying, “Let them praise Your great and awesome name — He is holy.”
As we think about our prayer life, please remember that how you think about God determines how you pray! From Daniel’s prayer of Daniel 9:4, Daniel knew two crucial things about God. 1. that God was powerful. 2. That God is a promise keeper. This would impact what he would ask as He knew what God’s character was.
Learning to pray means learning not just how to pray but learning about who you are praying to.
Daniel’s approach to God is so revealing of how we should approach God as we come boldly to the throne of grace in times of need. From Daniel and other OT saints, we learn we must always approach our awesome God with adoration before asking for anything. Adoration precedes asking!
Continue strong with a dynamic prayer life!
And remember to DATE The Word!