Focus: Daniel teaches us to pray Maranatha! prayers
Function: To prod the people to assume Daniel’s posture of prayer, which reflects humility and a deep concern for the name and cause of the Lord, our God.
Text: Daniel 9:1-27
The news today is not very good. For example, when it
comes to the state of the church in the western world, including North America,
we observe an increasing decline in church attendance and church giving. In
fact, the Christian Church today has a minority status in many countries and
has lost its voice and influence in culture, ethics, and morality. Political
institutions and secular progressive policies in our country, for example, have
marginalized the Christian Church. Church news is not very positive today.
The
church’s gradual decline, however, is not simply due to external factors such
as secularism and a hostile culture. There is a lot of internal “rot and decay”
as well; for example, prominent TV. preachers tend to fail preaching the
Scriptures; they preach health and wealth messages and pop psychology,
appealing to the consumer and narcissistic side of the masses. Their messages
conform to the culture and schemes of the world. Other examples that points to
the decline of the Christian church are the high divorce rate among Christians,
and the movement of many young adults today to adopt co-habitation as an
acceptable lifestyle or alternative to marriage.
My
point is simple: the failure of us, Christians, to live up to and uphold the
standards of God’s Word is just as detrimental as the world’s hostility toward
the Christian Church.
On
fronts other than the Christian Church, the news today is not very good either.
For example, our economy is in the “tank.” Unemployment is approaching the 10%
figure. And our government seems out of control or at a loss as to how to “fix”
the economic problems. The nations of the world have not yet increased their
love for America, and are just as disillusioned with our leaders today as they
were under a different administration.
So,
whom shall we blame for our problems today? Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and the
Democrats in general? The Republican leadership (or failure thereof) perhaps?
Or shall we place the blame with a biased left-wing media? Or with greedy Wall
Street investors? Or with crooks such as Mr. Madoff and company? Whom shall we
blame in these troubled times?
The
last few months I have struggled with praying for our government. So many of
the decisions and policies and actions of our politicians and president seem
“off track,” out of balance, bordering on the immoral and the unethical. Who is
to blame? What posture of prayer must we assume today in the midst of all our
troubles and malaise?
Daniel
shows us the way. We must learn to pray Maranatha! prayers. Today, God’s
Word shows us what posture of prayer Christians ought to take: Our prayers need
to reflect deep humility and a passionate concern for the name and cause of the
Lord our God. In short, we are to get on our knees! And we are to offer Maranatha!
prayers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel chapter 9 begins with a time reference: “In
the first year of Darius son of Xerxes…who was made ruler over the Babylonian
kingdom—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the
Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet,
that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.” In other
words, Daniel realizes that God is about to fulfill his prophetic promise to
restore Jerusalem, and to bring back a remnant of his exiled people to Israel.
For Daniel recognizes that King Darius’ rule signifies the end of 70 years of
Babylonian oppression, terror and dominion. A new era of restoration for God’s
people in exile and in Israel is about to begin.
So what does Daniel do? He prays a Maranatha! prayer.
That prayer is captured in vs. 19, where we read: “O Lord, listen! O
Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay,
because your city and your people bear your Name.” The word “Maranatha”
is an Aramaic word that means “Lord, come soon.” Throughout the
centuries, the Christian Church has been praying this prayer as it looks
forward to the glorious final coming of the Lord Jesus. As Daniel looks forward
to the day that Jerusalem will be restored and God’s people return to the
Promised Land, he prays a Maranatha! prayer.
Note Daniel’s posture at this critical time in history:
a. His posture is one of humility: Daniel confesses his sins and the sins of the O.T.
church, the people of God. Daniel does NOT blame Nebuchadnezzar for sacking
Jerusalem, for robbing the temple, and for the exile of God’s people. Oh, no!
Daniel humbles himself before God and blames God’s people, himself included,
for all the hardships, all the oppression, and all the ruinous circumstances
that have befallen God’s people.
Listen to Daniel: (vs.4) “O
Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who
love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been
wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We
have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our
kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.”
Here’s what so striking: this brave, wise, godly, faithful Daniel whose example
we should follow and who qualifies for sainthood, so to speak, adopts a posture
of humility, and he prays a sinner’s prayer: “O Lord, forgive!” “O Lord, we
have sinned.”
b. Daniel’s posture is also a posture of intercession: That is,
Daniel pleads for mercy on behalf of his people Israel. In that sense, Daniel
reveals to us the Spirit of Jesus—our sole Mediator and Intercessor before God
the Father. Listen: (Vs. 15ff) “Now, O Lord our
God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for
yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. O
Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your
wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of
our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those
around us.”
Daniel takes the sins and the hopes and longings of his
people upon his own shoulders; he places them all before the feet of God; and
Daniel pleads with God on their behalf. Daniel teaches us to pray for one
another. His posture is one of intercession.
c. Daniel’s posture of humility and intercession also
demonstrates a posture of service: Daniel
sees himself first and foremost in the service of his God. Listen: “O
Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God,
do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
Here we note that God’s
business, God’s cause, is on Daniel’s radar screen of prayer.
Daniel does NOT pray that God will bring him back to
Jerusalem. Daniel is NOT asking God to do anything personal for Daniel. Daniel
seeks first the kingdom of God. In that respect, Daniel again reflects the
Spirit of Jesus. For Jesus taught us to pray that we must first seek to honor
God’s name, to advance his kingdom, and to do his will. And in that context, we
may pray for our daily bread and personal needs.
Daniel,
then, adopts a posture of prayer, reflecting humility, intercession, and
service to God. And it’s that posture that leads Daniel to pray his Maranatha!
prayer: “Lord, come soon! Lord, do what you have promised! Lord, glorify
your name and fame! So let it be!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I reflect upon the state of the Christian Church today
in the midst of a world that is in turmoil, I believe that God teaches us
through Daniel three particular things:
1) Christians should assume a posture of prayer, which
reflects humility. It is easy to
blame the economic chaos on politicians or crooked investors or on reckless
bank policies. It is likewise easy to blame the troubles of the Christian
Church on secularism and public hostility or bias toward the Christian faith.
But I believe Daniel teaches us to do some serious soul searching and to take
responsibility for our own sins and idolatrous behaviors.
We need to assume blame for our own faithlessness in
worship and in Scripture studies. We need to take responsibility for the
indifference shown today toward Catechetical instruction, Bible studies, and
doctrinal teachings. Why is it that the younger generation does not have much
sympathy to listen to and obey the Scriptures’ warnings against sexual
promiscuity or immorality?
Why
is that many of our sons and daughters think nothing of contemplating marriage
with unbelievers? Why is it that many are willing to consider co-habitation as
a legitimate alternative to marriage? Why is it that the divorce rate among
Christians is no different from the rest of society? Why is that many
Christians do not respect the authority of the Bible by which to order their
lives? Daniel teaches us to assume an individual and collective posture of
humility and confess our own sins before God.
2) As Christians we need to examine our prayers and make
the Name of God our passion and priority in all of life. When
it comes to our own personal affairs, we are quick to pray toward ourselves: “Lord,
heal me from cancer!” “Lord, let me pass this exam!” “Lord, please, let me
succeed in my job!” Our “Lord, give me, hear me, help me prayers” seem
to flow naturally from our lips. And our prayer requests tend to center on our
own causes and self-interest.
But Daniel teaches us to balance our self-interest
prayers by making God’s cause or Name and fame the center of all our prayers: “Lord,
act on behalf of your people and church for YOUR sake, for Your glory, for YOUR
name to reach the uttermost ends of the earth.” In other words, we must
learn to pray toward God’s cause and purposes. And that means that our own
self-interests play second fiddle. God is King. We are his servants. May the
name of the King be honored and his Kingdom advance!
3) By adopting a posture of prayer, Christians “speed up”
the purposes and plans of God. Did
you notice? The text says that Daniel “…understood from the Scriptures,
according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the
desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.” In other words, God
is about to fulfill his promise of restoration. That’s good news!
But what does Daniel do? He prays a Maranatha! prayer: “Lord,
listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not
delay….”
What’s the matter with
Daniel? Does he have doubt that God will keep his promise of restoration? Is
Daniel afraid that God will forget? Is Daniel uncertain about the truth of
God’s word spoken through Jeremiah? Is Daniel having a crisis of unbelief,
perhaps? Why is Daniel passionately praying for God to act upon his promises
made to his people?
Here’s the heart of the matter: Daniel knows that our
prayers are crucial; they play a vital role in God’s unfolding plan of
salvation throughout history.
For one thing: By praying
passionately that God will realize his promise to Israel, Daniel makes God’s
cause his cause. Daniel’s heartbeat, then, is in tune with the heartbeat of
God.
But
here is the other thing: Our ascending prayers to the throne room of God are
the GUIDE LINES or WIRES or PATHWAYS by which God’s promises and actions
descend to us and the world around us. God’s heavenly promises are realized and
descend to us by way of the prayer lines we offer to God! (cf. Ds. Veldkamp). One minister put it this way: “Our prayers are the
necessary links in the chain of God’s sovereign design and plan of salvation.” This
is why the Heidelberg Catechism tells us that Christians need to pray “…because
God gives his grace and his Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and
groan inwardly, asking God for these gifts and thanking him for them.”
Daniel,
then, gives us a profound insight into the role or function of prayer: they are
the links or tracks or guide lines by which God’s heavenly grace and promises
touch our lives and world.
The
apostle Peter shares with us a similar insight when he urges us to prepare for
Christ’s final coming and restoration of all things. He says: (II Peter 3:11ff) “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire,
and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be
destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live
holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its
coming.”
A
godly lifestyle is a Christian mode of living. By living godly lives we speed
the coming of the Lord. And by offering our prayers, God’s grace connects with
us, and God’s Spirit leads us to the realization of all God’s promises.
So
then, in these troubled times, assume the posture of prayer, which reflects
humility and a deep concern for the name and cause of Christ, our King.
In
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.