Sunday, July 15, 2018

The Daniel Prayer - Session 3 - Compelled To Pray




The Church of Divine Guidance Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study Group studying the book The Daniel Prayer:  Prayer That Moves Heaven And Changes Nations By Anne Graham-Lotz.  

James 5:16 (NLT2) 16  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 

The Daniel Prayer is born deep within your soul, erupts through your heart, and pours out on your lips, words created by and infused with the Spirit of God quivering with spiritual electricity. It’s really not an everyday type of prayer. It’s a prayer birthed under pressure. Heartache. Grief. Desperation. It can be triggered by a sudden revelation of hope. An answer to prayer, a promise freshly received, a miracle that lies just over the horizon.



Study along with us by getting a copy of the book by clicking this LINK or the image of the book in the study notes. 

First a little review since we haven't met for two weeks. 

In our first session, Time To Pray.  The prayer that inspired Anne to write the book was the one prayed after Daniel read in Jeremiah's prophecy that the Jews’ exile would last 70 years.  He realized that the 70 years was about up so he prayed, on behalf, of the nation that God bring it to pass.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 NIV This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord , “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord , “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Daniel 9:4-19 NIV 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 commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.  “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord , because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on 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. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 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.  “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.  “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; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”


He confessed the sins of the nation,

Daniel 9:4-6 NIV 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 commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

 He acknowledged that God was justified in punishing them,

Daniel 9:11-14 NIV  All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on 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. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 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.


Then he asked that God answer and return them for His name sake. 

Daniel 9:17-19 NIV  “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; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”


Anne writes that because Daniel prayed God put His plan into motion by moving Cyrus to issue the decree allowing all those who wanted to go to go and rebuild.  

Ezra 1:2-4 NIV  “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “ ‘The Lord , the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord , the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’ ”


 It was a prayer that moved heaven and Earth, and caused a nation to change.

Her question is is it possible that the prayer of one person could bring renewal, restoration, and revival to America?

Session 2 was Committed To Pray.   In that session we said that we need to make a commitment to pray and in order to do that we have to make preparations. 

 Daniel 6:10 NIV 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 had a specific place that he designated for prayer. 

We all need this kind of sacred space set aside for special time alone with God.

Daniel had a set time everyday to pray. We should too or we may get overwhelmed by the events of the day and not pray. It should be a time when when can think clearly and not worn out by the activity of the day.  In the morning before stuff happens is a great time.

We should set the atmosphere which probably includes the place a time we select for our time. The atmosphere should be one where we are comfortable and can shut everything out but God.

Daniel would open be in his house where the windows faced Jerusalem.

Then finally we need to prepare our attitude for prayer.  We should always be humble. 

Daniel would get on his knees.

Compelled To Pray


In this session we want to talk about being compelled to pray. The definition of compel is force or oblige (someone) to do something, bring about (something) by the use of force or pressure. synonyms: force, pressure, press, push, urge;

After reading Jeremiah, Daniel was compelled to pray for deliverance of the Jews and the end of  their exile  When we look at the conditions of our nation, some of our friends and family and ourselves we need to have an urgency in our prayers.  When we feel compelled to pray those prayers are usually filled with passion. 

When was the last time you heard someone pray to the point that you became more aware of the One to whom the person was speaking, than you were of the person doing the speaking?

Those are passionate prayers from deep down inside you.

Compelled By Problems In Our World


At the time that Daniel prayed this prayer there had just been a big change in his world and there was probably a great deal of uncertainty as to what was going to happen in Babylon in general and to the Jews specifically.

You remember the story of the night that king Belshazzar of Babylon was using the things taken from the temple in Jerusalem and there was the handwriting on the wall that Daniel interpreted which happened the night that he translated the writing.

Daniel 5:22-31 NIV “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.  “This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin  “Here is what these words mean:  Mene  : God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.   Tekel  : You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.   Peres  : Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”  Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.  That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.


Daniel like probably most of the people in Babylon were wondering what was going to happen under the Medes. Daniel's solution was to pray but to also read, what was his scripture at that time.

 So he turned to scripture and after reading Jeremiah's prophecy he was compelled to pray.

We often have uncertainty in our lives.  It may be an illness, a change in location, a change in employment, retirement, and what's going on in the country and world. Those times often result in intense passionate prayer. 

Compelled By The Promises Of God
Photo by delfi de la Rua on Unsplash


The Daniel Prayer is not just an outpouring of heartfelt emotion and passionate pleading. It is an outpouring of heartfelt emotion and passionate pleading based on God’s Word, and the promises in His Word.

There is a promise in the Bible for every situation, problem,and circumstance.  You can go on the Internet and ask what the Bible says about X and you’ll get a lot of scripture. For example I typed what does the Bible say about praying for government here are a few.

Psalms 2:10-11 -  Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.

Proverbs 11:14 - For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.

Proverbs 21:1 - The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.

Job 12:23-25 - He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

Romans 13:1-5 NIV Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.


1 Peter 2:13-14 NIV Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.


Or what the Bible says about healing

Old Testament Healing Scriptures

He said, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”~ Exodus 15:26

Worship the LORD your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.~ Exodus 23:25

The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt.~ Deuteronomy 7:15

“See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.~ Deuteronomy 32:39

Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak. Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.~ Psalm 6:2
For the LORD protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!~ Psalm 34:20
The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.~ Psalm 41:3
New Testament
And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose.~ Acts 9:34

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.~ James 5:14-15

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.~ James 5:16

He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.~ 1 Peter 2:24
There are 2,350 verses in the Bible that address money in one way or another

Specific Personal Promises


God still speaks to us personally through His Word.  Often in my morning quiet time a devotional speaks to a specific issue and often ends up in a blog post. Often when I post something even it’s just a scripture or a sentence from something I read I get a note or comment “I needed that today”. That is a something specific that's the result of being compelled to pray.

This morning when I was going over our study for today the Holy Spirit gave me directions for new Scripture.

Ann and a lot of people suggest that you pray before reading you Bible.  When you pray open up and talk to God about what's going on and any things burdening you. The read your Bible.

So how do you read your Bible? Do you read it to increase your knowledge of the facts and information only? Or do you read it listening expectantly for God to speak to you, then talk to Him about what He has said, basing your prayers on it?

If our prayers are not rooted in what God has said, what is their basis? A wish? Or a want? or a hope-so?

For some people, prayer merely expresses their wishes or wants to God, and that's okay since He knows anyway, and sometimes it just helps to talk it out with Him.  That's what prayer really is anyway a conversation with God.  We just need to make sure that it's a two-way conversation. 

Prayer that moves Heaven and changes a nation, as well as changes your life and mine, is prayer that is based on God’s Word. If you have a specific need, want, wish, or hope, put it in the form of a request, then open your Bible and ask God to speak to you about it. He may even change the way you are praying.

When it seems that God doesn't hear or delays in answering we should trust that God keeps His promises.  When God burdens us with what burdens Him, our responsibility is to pray. Then we leave the answer up to Him. And who knows what will happen?

PROMISES THAT ARE CONDITIONAL


There are obviously no conditions on  salvation unless you consider believing and accepting as conditions. 

There are definitely conditions on other promises of God so when we pray God’s word we need to be mindful of the conditions associated with the promise.  In Daniel's case it was

 Jeremiah 29:10-14 NIV This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord , “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord , “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

We need to make sure when we are claiming all these things when we pray that we have met the conditions.  The way to do that is to read and study the Bible. Don't just grab the promise ànd forget about the promise. 

James 4:7-10 NIV  Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.



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