Set Your Face!: Daniel 9.1-10

2008 is to be a Year of Prayer for us. That means many things, but one of the most practical is that we are to pray. There are many ways that we will do this, but today's Scripture gives us some guidelines and some exciting prospects.

The first thing to remember is that if he was nothing else, Daniel was committed to prayer. Remember that when he first came to Babylon he refused to defile himself with the King's food, drinks and delicacies. Then later, when it was illegal to pray to God, Daniel prayed anyway. And when he was punished in the lion's den, God, through prayer, delivered him. Daniel was committed to the act, the ministry of prayer.

The second thing to remember is that the Bible, Old and New Testaments, are filled with admonitions and examples of prayer. There is no question about the importance of prayer in a relationship with God and spiritual growth. In fact, there is a direct correlation between prayer and spiritual growth. If you are not growing in your faith you should evaluate the time, intensity and devotion of your prayer life.

In this passage, Daniel gives us a great amount of insight into the hows and wherefores of prayer. Prayer includes all of the following.

1. Set my face to the Lord my God. (v. 3) To set your face toward something indicates a deep level of commitment. A good analogy would be that prayer is to lay siege to the Lord. Prayer should be an extreme devotion to the things of the Lord.
2. Prayer. (v. 3) Although the term prayer can have many applications, in this case it should be seen as an address to God. To pray is to relate to God. I believe that this relating should be considered much as a conversation between two peers.
3. Supplication. (v. 3) This is an earnest appeal to God. It is here that we identify to the Lord what our needs are. Too often Christian people think that this is all that prayer is. If this is the extent of our prayer time, our interaction with God is just our reciting a wish list of our needs, wishes and complaints. Supplication is a part of prayer, but it is not all that prayer is.
4. Fasting. (v. 3) Fasting is a spiritual discipline that has declined in favor in recent years. (It has never been the most popular thing for Christians to do.) The point of fasting is to re-align our priorities with those of God. We sacrifice something (usually food) in exchange for a heightened awareness of and commitment to the things of God.
5. Confession. (v. 4) In confession we tell God all that we have done wrong. Although he knows, when we confess we leave everything for God to see. We are not holding anything back.
6. Repentance. (v. 3) Sackcloth and ashes are used throughout the Old Testament to demonstrate the extreme repentance of people. Repentance is a significant, and difficult thing to do. It requires not only admitting a sin and asking forgiveness, but also committing to never do it again. Sackcloth and ashes are a very public symbol of this process.

And then the good news comes. When we commit our lives to the Lord through prayer, he answers us. Verses 21-22 find the angel Gabriel responding to Daniel's prayers. When we go to God with our whole heart and when we seek him completely he will answer. He will respond to us. Prayers will be answered. Lives will be changed. The world will be better. God will be glorified.