FRIDAY, 8 Jan, 2021 “Prayer power”

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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

Well… it happened again to me. For a second day in a row I awakened with a song running around in my head. I wonder if you remember this one: “In times like these, we need a Savior; in times like these we need an anchor. Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.” As I recall it was George Beverly Shea who sang it most often, at least that’s whose voice I hear in my head. Here are the lyrics to the first verse or two:

In times like these, we need a Savior; In times like these, we need an anchor

Be very sure, be very sure; Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock

This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the one; This Rock is Jesus, The only One
Be very sure, be very sure; Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock

Whenever I hear the word “Anchor” and think about the Bible, I think of this one verse: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Heb. 6:19) So my friends, one week into 2021, is the anchor of your life holding or are you already adrift in the fray, the chaos, the challenges of our times?

I wonder if PRAYER is one of the ways your anchor is holding? When you think about PRAYER, what comes to your mind? Have you ever met anyone you might call a true “prayer warrior” or “intercessor”? I wonder how the events of 2020 affected the ‘prayer’ aspect of your life? Have you noticed fear, crisis, and danger motivate people to pray? I have observed that even people who don’t have time for any other religious activity naturally call out to God when life gets out of control and terrifying. Already in 2021 lots of people have turned to prayer, hoping God will do something to help our struggling human race with several new, very contagious variants of COVID, and many political challenges around the world affecting hundreds of millions of people.

Yesterday I urged us to consider how Daniel proved his strong reliance upon God many times over his life of more than 70 years in captivity in Babylon, and how God responded to Daniel’s urgent and extraordinary needs so many times. I think PRAYER was perhaps the single most distinctive factor in Daniel’s effectiveness when he faced outrageous challenges, especially from the political leaders of his day. Today, let’s look at Daniel’s record of one of those prayer times. I believe you’ll see some significant lessons to help us respond to the challenges of our day. Together let’s dig into Daniel 9.

Notice Daniel turned to prayer motivated by what he was reading in the Scriptures! Have you discovered how Scripture and Prayer work together by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in your life? Daniel begins: “I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: ‘LORD, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandment…” (Daniel 9:4) Do you see it my friends, one of the great keys to powerful prayer? Start with adoration and worship, NOT requests or problems you want God to solve! Have you learned the power of praise and thanksgiving in dealing with the emotions of fear, anxiety, anger, worry, frustration etc.?

Next Daniel prays: “…we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from Your commands, O God. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our leaders, and our ancestors…” (Daniel 9:5,6) Oh my this is very significant. Daniel was perhaps one of the most God honoring men of his time, yet do you see what Daniel does right up front in his prayer? He does NOT set himself apart from or above his fellow Jews, but rather he confesses to God that as a people, the Jews had been rebellious and hard hearted against God.

Now ponder that. How often do you find yourself criticizing, at least in your heart, the leadership of your country or those who are involved in the chaos all around you? Do you find yourself assuring God that you are different from ‘them’, and do you maybe even find yourself asking God to punish ‘those wicked people’ who are causing such chaos in your part of the world and your life?

Look closely, has the society of people in which you live done what Daniel prayed? Have they rebelled against God and turned away from His truth, His commands? Has your society rejected those who have tried to speak God’s truth and call your society to return to God’s ways? How have you prayed?

Look at what Daniel prayed next: “LORD, You are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame…all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where You have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to You. We and our leaders and ancestors are covered with shame, LORD, because we have sinned against You.” (Daniel 9:7,8) Daniel was absolutely right and truthful.

In fact Ezekiel, who was also a prophet of God and also in captivity in Babylon at the same time as Daniel, wrote the same thing only in more detail and graphically. You might want to read Ezekiel 36:16-21, it’s very powerful! Does it describe some people of our day? We live in a time of global migration and travel, with people easily moving from one place to another either for visits or permanently. So as the people of your “people group” move, what is the reputation they have in other parts of our world? Do you see what Ezekiel saw, or Daniel saw?

Notice next Daniel draws a very clear relationship between the sins of his people, the Jews, and the collapse of their society under the judgment of God: “All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey You, O God. Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against You. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster…The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything He does, yet we have not obeyed Him.” (Daniel 9:10-14)

Can you imagine Holy God in heaven listening to Daniel’s prayer of confession and saying “Yes Daniel, Yes! You see the situation clearly, you are absolutely correct in your assessment of the situation in which you all find yourselves and WHY all this calamity has come upon you, the people I love so dearly. I am a just, holy God and true to My words of promise and warning.”

Through the months of October, November and December we walked through Israel’s history as recorded in the Kings & Chronicles, and several of the prophetic books. We covered almost 400 years of Israel’s history, and if you’ve been with us, I’m sure we all agree with Daniel’s prayer! The question is, what should we learn from Daniel’s prayer and what do you see as you look at your society’s recent history? What has God been saying to your people, and how has your society responded?

In closing today, please notice the last part of Daniel’s great prayer. “Now, O LORD our God…in keeping with all Your righteous acts, turn away from Your anger… Now our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. FOR YOUR SAKE, LORD, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our God and hear… We do not make requests of you because we are righteous but because of Your great Mercy. LORD hear! LORD forgive! LORD act! For Your sake, my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.” (Daniel 9:15-19)

Do you see the dramatic turn from confession and acknowledgment that God’s judgment has been fair, to now request for mercy and for God’s forgiveness?

My friends, if you have trusted Jesus Christ to be your Savior, wherever you live in our world, I urge you today to take a close look at Daniel 9 and consider if God is calling you to intercede like this for your society, your church, your city? Of course the nation of Israel is unique in the human race and in God’s dealing with our world, but the key principles of Daniel’s prayer can be applied to any people group in the world who have turned away from God, resisted His reach and His love, and rejected His truth. Is that your people group?

Perhaps you think your prayer would be so insignificant that it can’t make much difference. Daniel was only one man, but in response to Daniel’s prayer God did some amazing things. First God sent the angel Gabriel to Daniel with a message which responded directly to Daniel’s prayer. You’ll see that in the next few verses in Daniel 9.

And secondly, God evidently led Daniel to speak to king Cyrus about what he had read in Scripture and God moved in Cyrus’ heart to issue an edict that any Jewish person in his vast kingdom was permitted to return immediately or at anytime to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding both the city and the temple of God! Ezra 1&2 have that miraculous story! Now God may not do such remarkable things in response to your prayer or mine, but I believe this great promise of God is happening right now in 2021: “The eyes of the LORD roam to and fro across the whole earth looking to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

One final word my friends. I have found an audio clip of George Beverly Shea singing “In Times Like These” … let’s step back in time with him. I think it may be even more true today, than when Mr. Shea sang it at the Billy Graham crusades years ago, what about you? May God bless you today, my good friends.

Today’s Scripture is Daniel 9.

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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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