Day 6

Scripture to Read: Daniel 9:4–21

As Daniel prayed, we read in Daniel 9:20–21, “Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.” Notice that Daniel did not just pray what is recorded in Daniel 9:3–19, but Daniel was praying continuously. Daniel was in intimate conversation with God and laying himself before God’s throne of grace. We know prayer was a vital part of Daniel’s life for we saw that in Daniel 6:10, “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.” Prayer was a daily part of Daniel’s life. Daniel had an intimate fellowship with our Lord, and that is what God desires from us as His children. We should not have to be reminded to pray, but we should be in such constant fellowship with our Lord that our prayer life is as natural as breathing. The sweet promise for us is that as we pray, we have the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26–27) and Jesus (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25) praying with, for, and through us.

Challenge & Application

• What does it look like for you to be in constant fellowship with our Lord throughout the day? • Why should prayer be like breathing to us, and why is it vital to our growth as Christians?

Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!

Devotionals from this week

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Day 1

God lays out for us the setting in Daniel 9:1–2. Daniel 9:1 says, “Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans.” Darius was the king of the Medo-Persian Empire. This is the empire that came to power in Daniel 5 when we studied the handwriting on the wall. This is the same Darius who was ...

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Day 2

Israel was in captivity for seventy years because they disobeyed God’s command, which He gave to them through Moses in Leviticus 25:1–5. God even warned Israel in Leviticus 26:33–35 that if they disobeyed His command, He would allow them to be taken captive and removed from their land so that the land could get its rest. The Israelites chose ...

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Day 3

As we examine Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9, again, God reveals to us why the nation of Israel had been taken into captivity for almost 70 years when Daniel wrote this prayer. We know from God’s Law, which He gave to Moses, that God warned the Israelites that if they chose not to obey Him, then they could count on the curses of God being poured...

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Day 4

Daniel was a man of prayer because he knew God’s covenant with the nation of Israel, which God had given to Moses. Daniel also knew the writings from the prophet Jeremiah and the prophecies shared through Jeremiah. So, because of Daniel’s intimacy with God and His Word, Daniel knew what to pray as he petitioned God. Daniel started his prayer ...

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Day 5

As we examine Daniel’s prayer, we read Daniel’s confession of sin for the nation of Israel. Daniel said in Daniel 9:4–6, “I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed…we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the pro...

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Day 6

As Daniel prayed, we read in Daniel 9:20–21, “Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came...

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Day 7

While Daniel was praying, God sent the angel Gabriel to give Daniel the prophecy in Daniel 9:24–27. Gabriel gives Daniel the Seventy Weeks prophecy. This prophecy is about the Jews and the city of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24) and consists of a 490-year time period. Gabriel told Daniel the kingdom would come, not after the 490 years Daniel and Isra...

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