God Speaks
Daniel’s Dream, Vision and Prayer
Verse of the Day: “Now our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests to you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” (Daniel 9:17-19 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Daniel 7-9:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Daniel 7 and 8 both contain dreams or visions of the night that Daniel had during the reign of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, and will be addressed as a unit.
1. At His discretion, God may choose to use dreams and visions to reveal future events and then explain them to His faithful servants like Daniel.
2. People who (like Daniel) are given a vision of the future by God have every right to be terrified by their thoughts and to have faces pale with fear.
Daniel 9
1. The LORD is the only great and awesome God! He always fulfills His covenant and keeps His promises of unfailing love to those who love Him and obey His commands.
2. We (people) are exceedingly corrupt and sinful; therefore, we must approach our Holy God in humble confession and faith as Daniel did.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Daniel 7-9?
O LORD, You are the only great and awesome God! You always fulfill Your covenant and keep Your promises of unfailing love to those of us who love You and obey Your commands. Holy Spirit, please help me to live a life of faith and obedience that allows You, LORD, to trust me with dreams and visions of the future. I have sinned and done wrong by (name specific things). Please forgive me not because I deserve it but because of Your mercy. Thank You that Jesus died to pay the penalty for that sin and take it away. People in my nation and around the world, especially those who claim to know You, Your laws, and Your ways, have sinned against You by taking innocent lives (by abortion or by murder). May we acknowledge our shame because we have sinned against You. But You, LORD our God, are merciful and forgiving, even though we have continually rebelled against You. Humble us and bring us to our knees in repentance and holy fear. Bring us back to following the instructions You gave us in the Bible. Help us to listen to and obey Your voice. You have every right to bring disaster upon us. Open our eyes to see our desperate condition. May we turn around and seek mercy from You by turning from our sins and recognizing Your truth. O LORD, hear; O LORD, forgive; O LORD, listen and act! For Your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for Your people and Your city that bear Your holy name. It is only then that we will be able to bring You glory, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Daniel 7-9? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will consult bible commentaries I trust to understand what Daniel’s visions really meant. How did they play out in history?
- I will investigate how to interpret dreams and/or visions.
- I will ask the LORD what He wants me to know from the dreams and/or visions He gives me and what He wants me to do about them.
- I will read Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9 aloud with my nation, culture, or life situation in mind.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.