DAY 11 : A Time to Remember and Believe the Promises

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”

- Daniel 6:10 (NIV)

DEVOTIONAL

Even from a young age, when Daniel had been led away into captivity in a foreign land, he had made it his practice to set his face toward Jerusalem and to pray three times a day.  What caused him to come faithfully in prayer before the Lord day and night, throughout the years?  What was he praying for?  

1 Kings 8:47-50 (NASB)
...if they take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; 

if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name;

then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them...

Three times a day, Daniel remembered the promises of God and brought those promises before Him!  He did not fail to keep the Lord's words before his eyes, nor did he fail to bring them before the Lord daily in prayer.  These faithful prayers (day and night) paved the way for the time of fulfillment.

In the Time of Fulfillment: Prayer, Fasting & Repentance Must Come First

Daniel 9:2-3, 5 (NIV), 18-19 (BSB)

...I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.  So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.  "...we have sinned and done wrong.  We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws..."

"Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name.  For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion.

"O Lord, listen!  O Lord, forgive!  O Lord, hear and act!  For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.”

When the time of 70 years of captivity was over, Daniel recognized it was time for the fulfillment of promises!  He began to set himself intentionally to prayer, fasting and confessing the sins of his people and of his land. 

In the same way, now is the time for us to set ourselves towards seeking the face of God – towards humbling ourselves, continued prayer, fasting and repentance – as we believe for a transition out of captivity and into the promises of God! 
 

PRAYER RESPONSE:

Take a moment to bring your heart before the Lord, praying through these questions & reflections.

1. Lord, do I have any unbelief towards You or Your promises? I ask Your forgiveness for placing my trust more in the thoughts and ways of men, rather than truly walking in Your ways, which lead towards the healing of our nation and of our land!

(Let's confess and surrender any specific ways we have had unbelief towards God's Word and towards His promises. Let's repent for ways we have not trusted in His Word and in His ways, and instead have trusted in our own ways.)

2. Have I grown weary and forgotten Your promises over the years? Have I let go of them, while wandering in the wilderness?

(Write down any promises or words God has spoken over you, your family, your workplace, your campus, your ministry, our nation or the nations - that He is calling you to carry again and to bring before Him in prayer!)

3. "Father, just as Daniel prayed, we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our own righteousness, but because of Your great compassion! O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, do not delay - bring the fulfillment of Your promises over us, our families, our campuses, our communities, our nation and our generation - we cannot bear to live without Your presence any longer!"

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