Answered Prayer - Bible Baptist Church

Answered prayer

Daniel 9

Answered prayer is informed by the work of God (vss 1-2)

Daniel 9:2 Daniel understands the judgment of God by what Jeremiah wrote seventy years before in Jeremiah 29:1, 10.
Uninformed praying
The reality of our prayers is that many of them aren’t answered because they can be contrary to what God is doing. These prayers either don’t have anything to do with God’s business or they may be contrary to God’s kingdom. That’s why it’s important to be informed. God is NOT doing everything, all the time, with everyone. He is doing some things, sometimes, with someone.

Seeking is never passive. (Hide-N-Seek)
Daniel knows the LORD responds to faithfulness according to verse 4.
Daniel is looking for the LORD to return the Israelites to Jerusalem and re-establish the work of God in Jerusalem.
- This would signal the people’s forgiveness.
- This would signal a return to the work of God to bring about the Messiah.
Seeking by asking
Seeking by humbling
- Contrite spirit and contrite in body as well; by fasting, sackcloth like burlap, and ashes.
- Daniel creates for himself an environment of humility to help him live humbly as he seeks to persuade the LORD to work again in Jerusalem.
Seeking by inviting light into his life – confession
- Daniel spends the next 13 verses confessing and accepting the current condition of him and his people because of their disregard for the LORD.
- Get honest before God. The light may not be working in your life because you’re not inviting light into your life. (Jesus called the Pharisees blind because they just knew they were right. Luke 18:9-14 The Pharisee thanks God that he’s not like everyone else. The Bible says God didn’t hear that prayer because it was full of self-righteousness, so the man went away unjustified, though justifying himself, yet still in darkness.)

Lord, for your sake
- vs 17 for the Lord’s sake
- vs 18 for thy great mercies
- vs 19 for thine own sake
- vs 19 thy city, thy people, call by thy name
In my name…John 14:13-14
- In Jesus name – seen as an incantation “in Jesus name” but it is not a magic spell that summons God
- It means for his sake. James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.