DEVOTION – DAY 85

Daniel 9:4-5 “Seeking God With The Right Attitude”

 

Daniel 9:4-5 “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.”

 

Daniel was a prophet. He was one of the young Jews taken by King Nebuchadnezzar into exile to Babylon around 605 BC. Daniel remained in Babylon for decades serving in the court under the reign of various kings there. Throughout his time in Babylon, Daniel was faithful to God and he refused to worship idols. From the above verses, we can see that Daniel always knew his place before the Almighty God. He first confessed his own sins and that of his fellow Jews. Daniel did not remind God that he had been faithful all this time whilst in exile. He did not expect nor request that God answered his prayers because he had been faithful. Daniel always knew that God owed him nothing and he had no right to expect anything from God. Daniel always knew his place as a sinner and in need of God’s mercy and grace. It is in such a position as a penitent sinner that Daniel approached God in prayer, confessing his sins first before presenting his humble prayer requests.

I confess that I have approached God in prayer with a less than humble attitude. I had failed to have the attitude that Daniel had when he sought God in prayer. There was a time when I was doing something for God but there were obstacles and nothing seemed to be moving. So, I prayed and reminded God that I had been doing all that I could do and I asked Him why the situation remained unchanged. Compared to how Daniel approached God in prayer, I now realized that I had failed to confess my sin of impatience and doubt. I had expected God to act based on my expectations and timing. Have you been guilty of something like that before? We can all learn from Daniel that it is always right to approach God with humility and confession without having any expectation but only with faith and trust in Him.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, please forgive us for lacking in humility and contrition when we come before you. We thank you for your grace and mercy upon us. Thank you for forgiving our sins. Please help us to have a penitent and humble heart like Daniel whenever we come before you. In the name of the Lord Jesus we ask, Amen.

 

Questions

  1. What is your attitude when you go before God in prayer? Do you go to God with a list of prayer items expecting Him to answer them quickly?
  2. What changes will you make to the way you approach God learning from Daniel’s example?
  3. How can you teach your children to do the same when they approach God in prayer?
  4. What does seeking God in humility and contrition mean to you? Discuss.