HOW TO PRAY IN A CRISIS
Dangerous Prayers – Week 2
Steve Gallimore | pastorsteve@tvcc.us
DANIEL 9:1-23: HOW TO PRAY IN A CRISIS
1 . LET GOD
“It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede who was made king of the Babylonians (by Cyrus). During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was studying the Scriptures. I learned from the Word of the Lord, as recorded by Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.”
Daniel 9:1-2
“If you stay connected to me and my words remain in your heart, you may ask any request you want in prayer, and it will be given to you…” John 15:7
“God says this to you: ‘You will be kept in Babylon for 70 years. But then I’ll keep my gracious promise to bring you back to your home again. For I know the plans I have for you’ says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans for your disaster. My plans will give you hope and a future. In those days when you pray, I will listen.’” Jeremiah 29:10-12
2 FACTORS: GOD’S
“You do not have what you need, because you do not ask God for it!” James 4:2
2 . FOCUS MY
“So I turned my face to the Lord God, SEEKING him…” Daniel 9:3a (ESV)
“So I gave my attention to the Lord to SEEK Him by prayer…” (NAS)
“I love those who love me, and those who seek me will find me!” Proverbs 8:17
“You will find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13
“God rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
“Seek first God’s Kingdom, before everything else and all the other things you need will be given to you.” Luke 12:31
“I will return to my place on high acknowledge their offenses, and feel their guilt, and seek my face; then in their troubles and distress they will earnestly seek me, saying, ‘Let us return to the Lord so that he may heal us.”
Hosea 5:15-6:1
3 . EXPRESS MY
“And I began pleading with God earnestly in prayer…”
Daniel 9:3b
“I poured out my heart, baring my soul to God.”
Daniel 9:3b (MSG)
“Then my people will join together in tears to seek the Lord. And they will ask the way to Jerusalem and they will start back home again.”
Jeremiah 50:4-5a
4 . DEMONSTRATE MY
“And I started fasting and went without food. To show my sadness I put on rough clothes and sat in ashes.” Daniel 9:3c
WHY FAST?
5 .
“Then I said ‘Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of constant love to those who love you and keep your commands.’” Daniel 9:4
“Even though we have rebelled against you, you Lord are merciful and forgiving.” Daniel 9:9
6 . HUMBLY
“We have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and ignored your commands and rejected your laws! We have refused to listen to your servants, the prophets, who spoke your messages to our kings and leaders and parents, and to everyone else in our nation.” Daniel 9:5-6
“We have brought disgrace and shame on ourselves…because we’ve been unfaithful to you. This is true of all of us, including our kings, leaders, and parents.” Daniel 9:7-8
“We paid no attention to you when you told us how to live, the clear teaching that came through your prophets.” Daniel 9:10 (MSG)
We kept on sinning, never giving you a second thought, oblivious to your clear warnings. So you had no choice but to let disaster loose on us since we persistently and defiantly ignored you.” Daniel 9:13-14 (MSG)
“…now, all the other nations mock us.” Daniel 9:16b
“O God, listen to me and hear my request… We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.” Daniel 9:18 (NLT)
GOD’S RESPONSE TO DANIEL
“While I kept on praying and confessing my sin and the sins of my people, and pleading with the Lord, suddenly the angel Gabriel appeared in my vision and said ‘Daniel, I’ve been sent to help you understand God‘s plan. The moment you began praying, an answer was given, and I’m here to tell it to you, for God loves you very much.” Daniel 9:20-23
GOD’S PROMISE TO HIS PEOPLE
“If my people, who are called by my name, will HUMBLE themselves and PRAY and SEEK my face and TURN from their wicked ways, then I will HEAR from heaven and will FORGIVE their sin and HEAL their land!” 2 Chronicles 7:14