10/06/2026
Prayer to Be a Daniel
The prophet Daniel is often associated with apocalyptic prophecy or with lions. What characterized him throughout the book of Daniel, though, wasn’t his insight into future dates or his inspection of feline dentistry: It was his intimacy with the faithful divine One.
During the Daniel 2 crisis Daniel made the situation known to his three friends. He acknowledged the power of group prayer, enlisting his comrades to approach God together (verse 17). The same account is also marked by his prayer of gratitude (verses 20-23). Upon God’s revelation of the dream’s interpretation, Daniel thanks God, praising His wisdom and might, and recognizing Him as the answer to that chapter’s crisis. Impasses reveal your theology.
Contrasting the public crisis of chapter 2, Daniel 9 is a personal and private one in which the prophet is disturbed after studying the prophecies of Jeremiah. Daniel immediately engages the Lord in solitary prayer with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes (verse 3). The prayer of confession (verse 4) acknowledges the greatness and faithfulness of God, while regretting the sinfulness and iniquities of His people (verse 5). Note that Daniel includes himself in the sins of Israel (verses 13-15). He asks for the restoration of Jerusalem, confesses corporate guilt, and appeals to God’s mercy (verses 16-19). Heart responses reveal your theology.
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Impasses, heart responses, and mortal scenarios reveal theology by prayer.*
These two bookended prayer accounts are accented by a third mention of prayer in between them in Daniel 6. Prayer so characterized Daniel that even his enemies were aware of it. In fact, they could find no other fault in Daniel except one contrived through a Medo-Persian law against petitioning other gods than the king. Daniel’s prayer life (verses 10, 11) is marked by habitual devotion that is not concerned with consequences. From his youth (Daniel 2) to his golden years (Daniel 9) he honed prayer a