Earnest praying
During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. Daniel 9:2-4
When you progresses in your spiritual growth, you learn how to offer an earnest prayer. From the text, Daniel recognized the predicament the Israelites are facing while in captivity. In his desperation, he cried out to God. He showed his humility before God when he expressed his trust and dependence through his prayer. But he was yearning for God’s response to come immediately that he decided to fast. He decided to forego physical nourishment so he could be filled with spiritual nourishment. His goal is to show his sincere intention to what he was asking from God. He was burdened by the blatant disobedience of his fellow Israelites that he finds himself nothing to show before God but complete humility and reverence. Prayer is not just about getting a favor from God but to experience how God works once you learn to be humble before Him. Prayer is founded upon your relationship with God where intimacy grows and breeds confidence and trust in Him. The prophet Jeremiah realized this that he experienced a promised-filled revelation from God when he calls out in Him through prayer. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3, NIV). Humanly speaking, Daniel and Jeremiah believed that on their own they could not do anything about their circumstances but they trusted God, the One who can. This is the same with God’s children. On your own it will be impossible to make an eternal significance yet with God’s help “all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). As you come to God by faith in your prayers, you will experience what others have experienced because they decided to come to the Lord in prayer. He promised that when you pray, you will experience “great and mighty things.” He releases His power beyond human understanding in visible ways. So decide today that from now on you will offer to God your earnest and sincere prayers.
Blessings.
