Q2. Preparing for Prayer

[Pastor Ralph]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel’s demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?

[pickledilly]

Daniel approached Yahweh in prayer with a completely humbled spirit, stripped of all self-will or ego. He intentionally prepared himself with fasting to demonstrate his denouncement of any pride before God and with sackcloth and ashes to demonstrate his utter grief and mourning for the sinful state of the Jewish exiles and their transgressions against Most High God. This was so very important here because the people had assimilated into Babylonian culture, including the false gods. For the most part, they had forgotten and abandoned their God and were so far from Him with such hardened darkened hearts that they had no interest on their own to turn back to Him. They were living as people who are cursed, not as a people favored and chosen by God. Daniel accepted the burden to intercede on their behalf and internalized their sin with his actions of preparation. His example of admitting/rejecting personal pride to humble his heart and of bearing genuine sorrow for another is a guide for all of us when we take on the burden of interceding for another. Authentic intercession is not for the weak!

[SoiKosum]

(Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel’s demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession? 

 

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed...." (9:34a)

 

Daniel "turned" or literally "set my face" to the Lord implying a deliberate determination towards something. Daniel's prayer was not casual but rather a firm heart's resolve to seek God for his people until an answer came. The seriousness of the prayer is expressed by the phrase, "in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes." Fasting was a way to humble oneself before God. Sackcloth was a sign of mourning. Ashes "symbolized the penitence with which Daniel came to represent his people before the Lord."

 

Before we go into intercession, we may begin with a time of praise and worship. Thereafter, we will confess our sins and humble ourselves before the Almighty God. God does not owe us anything. On the other hand, we owe God our lives and salvation. Amen!

[IvoryEagle]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays? Humility

 

How does he prepare?  Fasting, sackcloth

 

Why is this so important in this case?  God owes nothing.  No assumptions, a plea for mercy.

 

 

In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession? The same, we must never forget that the answer is always prayer.

[JanMary]

Q2 (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays?

 

He is humble and contrite, dressed in sackcloth and ashes...fervently praying and petitioning God.

 

How does he prepare?

 

Daniel has been fasting, and confessing on behalf of himself and his nation's sins and rebellion.

 

Why is this so important in this case?

 

I believe the Lord led Daniel to seek Him and find the answers ("All that we have accomplished,You have done for us." Isa 26:12) Daniel was obedient to pray with all of his heart, soul and mind on behalf of his people to bring about God's will for the nation. God calls us to prayer!

 

In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?

 

In the same ways as Daniel prepared:

 

Fasting is not just going without food or other pleasures, but it is vital in preparing our hearts for earnest prayer.

 

Confessing our own sin ("If MY people who are called by MY NAME will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, then I will hear from Heaven and heal their land." 2 Ch. 7:14)

 

Pleading for God's mercy and grace to be poured out on our nation.

 

Sackcloth and ashes, might translate to today as praying in season and out of season, when we're uncomfortable, perhaps on our faces or on our knees.

 

We can pray scripture back to the Lord....acknowledging that we believe His promises and believe He will hear and answer. 

[RD35]

(Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel’s demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession? ​

 

Daniel believes God's promises for a return​ and begins to pray earnestly.  He pleads to God on the basis of Gods character and not crediting his own righteousness. Daniel's prayer was no casual thing, but a firm heart's resolve to seek God for his people until an answer came.

 

Daniel prepared by humbling himself in fasting and mourning with sack clothes before the Lord.  He pleaded and petitioned in humility confessing all the wrongs of the nations and its people.

 

We can also follow the footsteps of Daniel in our prayer life as We want to learn prayer from someone who knows prayer -- who prays and God answers.  We should come before the Lord always on the basis of the goodness and faithfulness of God and not because we are anything.  We should confess our sins and humbly repent of them and plead God for mercy.  We should also intercede for others with true mourning of how sin is destroying our brothers and sisters and plead for their salvation.

[Santhana David]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?

Daniel knew that God always seeks truthful and heartfelt thanksgiving, prayers, through fasting. He was humble in his approach before prayer for he knew God always kept His promises. He started by giving God His rightful honor and thanked Him. Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God, in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and trusted is critical.

As he did, we too must devote ourselves to a high spiritual calling of prayer, supplication, fasting and to beg for God’s forgiveness on behalf of the people we love and for own selves.

I have now in the recent weeks after reading the book of Daniel, have learnt not to defile myself and to approach prayer with much caution. My guide learnt from Daniel has been the below of recent.

- GIVING THANKS FOR EVERYTHING

- GIVE GLORY PRAISE AND THANKS TO HIS HOLY NAME

- CONFESS MY SINS AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS AND LASTLY PETITIONING FOR NOT ONLY MY NEEDS BUT FOR ALL IN MY FAMILY – FRIENDS

- AND CONSTANTLY PRAY FOR THE RETURN OF THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR FAITH IN GOD

[Jwalane Mofokeng]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel’s demeanor as he prays?

To show his sadness, he fasted, put on rough cloth, and sat in ashes

 

How does he prepare?

By pleading, petition, and confession

 

Why is this so important in this case?

To seek answers,  and asking mercy

 

In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?

Acknowledging that we need Him in everything.

[blezed]

What is Daniel’s demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?      

Daniel's prayer was one of humility and earnestly. He prepared to pray by fasting, wore sackcloth, sprinkled himself with ashes and confessed his sins and those of his people.  It is important to ask for forgiveness when you want God to move on your behalf.  To prepare for intercessory prayer we must identify our sins and the sins of others as our own and ask for forgiveness.   

[Jen]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?

 

1 Abject humility

  He set his mind toward the  Lord, in others words  nothing else matters and at all costs.

2 He prepares with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.  Fasting keeps the mind focused and also acknowledges we have done nothing to even deserve the food we eat.   He took off his royal robes and put on sackcloth, in other words he is saying there is no importance in him, only in God and God alone.  Ashes are a sign of grief for our sins or the sins of our people.  This was not done just for tradition or appearance, this WAS  Daniel's heart before God.

3. This was important so that God would hear his prayer. psalm 66:18.

4 We might shut off our phones, turn off the tv, turn of the buzzer for the laundry, turn off the music.  What a different world we live in in many ways yet in many ways the same with many distractions and the principle for preparing is the same, Set our minds toward  God,  taking off our self-righteous nonsense, maybe put on some of last years 'rags' said facetiously, forget the coffee and pastry before,  during, and after  prayer meeting.  perhaps postrate ourselves on the floor to acknowledge who it is we are coming before (as He knows our hearts anyway), to accord Him the honor He deserves.

 

God Bless!

Jen

Psalm 68:18

[Jen]

Oops! So sorry!

[PrayingMan]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession? 

 

The Scripture says, "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. 4  I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed...."  He committed his total focus on the Lord. He pleaded, pouring out his heart.  He fasted, denying himself so that his soul intensely hungered for God. HIs sackcloth and ashes showed his humility and his utter dependence on God, and his repentant heart for his people's sins.  The whole root of Israel's sins was an arrogant heart who chose to lift themselves up as of greater importance than God, and sought their ways over God's ways.  Daniel's prayer was an example of the heart God wanted from His people.   We often come to God justifying ourselves because we do not participate in the sins of our nation.  However, like the pharisee and the sinner who each came before the Lord, the difference is a prideful heart in what righteousness we have accomplished, or is it the understanding of what we really look like standing before a holy God, falling so far short.  We either have a heart that says, "I'm glad I'm not like one of them" or we have a heart that says, "Have mercy on me, a sinner amongst a sinful people.  

[Debra Grant]

Q2. (Daniel9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare?

Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for

intercession?

 

Daniel believes God's promises for a return, he begins to pray in earnest 

for his people, that God would forgive their sin and enable this restoration 

to take place.Daniel's prayer was no casual thing, but a firm heart's resolve 

to seek God for his people until an answer came.  

 

 

2.The seriousness of the prayer is expressed by the phrase, "in fasting, and 

in sackcloth and ashes."

 

3.It was necessary for God to know that he was serious about getting an 

answer for his people.

 

4.We can repent,fast, pray, and read some scriptures in the bible pertaining 

to our situation.

[charisbarak]

Humility

Fasting

He was interceding for his people, Israel.

He wanted his people to be right with God, so he confessed the sins of Israel.

The same way--prepare yourself & intercede, humbly asking for forgiveness (confession)

[lighthouse2014]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel’s demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?

Daniels demeanor as he prays to God for the sins of Israel is one of humility.

Daniel prepares for his supplications for praying to God for Israel by fasting and dressing in sackcloth and ashes.

These preparations for prayer to God is that he is to pray to God in humility and asking Gods mercy for Israels sins. He does not go boldly before God as if the Lord owed them something.

We may prepare ourselves for intercessory prayer by fasting and humbling ourselves. In our day and culture we do not wear sackcloth and place ashes on ourselves. We should not allow ourselves to be known that we are fasting by having a low countenance. 

[HarveyDunn]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays?

 

Daniel knows and recognizes that the end of their captivity is coming to an end.  He believes that God is going to return them to Jerusalem.  He also knows that during the captivity many Jews took on the practices of their captor, he is concerned over their condition.

How does he prepare?

 

Daniel puts on sack cloth and spreads ashes on himself to show his humility and desire for repentance for the people.  He sat his face, he humbled himself, he pleaded, confessed the sins of the people and prayed.

Why is this so important in this case?

 

This was Daniel's calling.  He understood the consequences of sin. He totally relied upon God to deliver His people and cause them to repent and turn away from their sin.

In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?

 

First recognize our sinfulness.  Ask God to forgive our sin, for the Holy Spirit to fill us and intercede for us to the Heavenly Father on behalf of our prayer.  Exhibit complete dependence upon Him. Fast and pray. 

[hinckster]

What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays?

He prayed to the LORD our God and confessed.

How does he prepare?

Daniel turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

[Commissioned]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel’s demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?

Daniel entered into intercession he fasted and was in sackcloth and ashes, Daniel was in a state of deep remorse and repentance as he interceded on behalf of his people. This is important because when we go before God we must go boldly, yes, but humbly with out petitions,  As we prepare for intercession we too should spend some time in fasting and bringing down every lofty and unholy pride that we may have.

[van]

Daniel turned his face to the Lord God, seeking God by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. He confessed his people sins and he praised God for His great and awesomeness. Intercession for others is very important, and in Daniel case it was for the sins of His that was against what God talk them. To prepare for intercession your mind and heart should be totally tuned into God, earnestly pleading others causes before God.

[hanks]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) 

What is Daniel's demeanour as he prays? 

How does he prepare? 

Why is this so important in this case? 

In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession? 

His behaviour is one of humility. Daniel is down on his face before God, and he appeals to God in a very personal way – calling Him, My God. Turning to God with a prayer of confession and petition. In preparing to pray, the wearing of sackcloth and ashes, coupled with fasting, was evidence of mourning in grief or repentance. To Daniel these acts of self-denial were essential parts of a disciplined prayer life. Almost like in our world today of no pain no gain. In the same way as Daniel, we come before God in solemn humility; in a very personal way - calling Him our Heavenly Father. 

 

[KenBoy]

(Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession? 

 

Daniel is a very humble and a man of peace Good wil and positive outlook even in adversity ,all due to his strong Faith .

He grieves for the sin of his land by ashes and sackcloth /a symbol of being broken and being lowly

He fasted ,turned his face to the Lord ,he always prayed at the open window facing Jerusalem though this is not mentioned now /he always turned his face to the Lord 

 

Preparation was a regular part of praying to Yahweh ,without any defilement and prparation for purity and the best of everything ,offering a pure heart that repented of the sins (in this case Daniel recalls the sins of his people and repents and pleads for mercy

I am learning 

I will consider prayers the most important deed of my life and seek God with humble heart 

I will extol Him with praise and love He has for all of us .

I will also intercede for friend .family ,nations and church 

 

 

,

 

[haar]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a)

 

Q. What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays?

 

A. He turns to God in earnest expectation and in humilty

 

Q. How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? 

 

A. He fasted in humility wearing sackcloth and confess his sin. This is important because it prepares us to be aligned properly in tune with God.

 

Q. In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession? 

 

A. Fast and confess our sin and come to God in humility.

[ducminh]

Daniel prays with sincere and humble heart.  He expresses his attitude in the traditions of the Jewish community of that time: "in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes."  He admits the sins of Israel nation and pleads for God's mercy.

 

When I read this section of Daniel, I notice that none of our Christian churches has made calls to followers to repent from sin, and plead for God's mercy during this time of wars and calamities of the world.  Christian churches continue to ignore the signs of heaven, and believers continue feasting and thriving in vain values.  Some churches may have annual fasting, but those fasting and prayers are of traditional rituals.  We do not truly express any genuine repentance and amendment of life.

 

Christians today should learn more about Daniel's example.  We may not need to wear sackcloth and ashes, but our communities should make sincere and genuine repentance in our way of living, and plead for God's mercy.  We should encourage one another to seek God's truth in the holy scripture and submit ourselves to God's commandments.

 

[Aleezah]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel’s demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?

 

 

• He sets his face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications.
• He fasts with sackcloth, and ashes.
• As Jesus stated it best in Mark 9:29 (KJV), “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”  
• I would allow Daniel to lead by example minus the sackcloth and ashes. 

[Clarence]

Q2. (Daniel 9:3-4a) What is Daniel’s demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession?

 

Daniel came to his God in humility, as the notes state:

"Daniel doesn't come to God in boldness to plead a righteous cause. God owes him and his people nothing. He comes asking mercy for a clearly sinful people."

Daniel was determined to "set his face" before God to plead for his people.

The way Daniel prepared himself to intercede for his people, is essential for the way that believers today, need to prepare themselves to intercede. Daniel was sincere and burdened for his people so he pleaded for them before his God.