Thursday, February 25, 2021
FOR THY GREAT MERCIES!
Dan 9:18
18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
Daniel, the outcast captive, was praying for his homeland. The Babylonians had swooped down upon the city that was “called by His name” and had scattered the inhabitants. Daniel prays for forgiveness. “O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.” Dan 9:16
The matrix of prayer is always the understanding of our sin! God opens the door when we knock with confession! Daniel confessed the sins of his people – and his own sins as well. It is there that he begins. Note again what he says: “for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.” God in His grace gives us what we don't deserve, and God in His mercy doesn't give us what we do deserve. Warren Wiersbe
We can’t shout at God! We can’t complain that we have been unfairly treated by the One who orchestrates the cosmos! We deserve everything we are suffering and more. When we pray we kneel upon grace and bow before the altar of mercy. We dare not ask for justice lest our condition become worse. We ask for undeserved kindness. We ask for divine pity.
What a remarkable ministry Daniel had in Babylon! He was counselor to four kings, intercessor for the people of Israel, and a faithful witness to the true and living God. If you find that you have been carried away captive, maybe you need to open your window and pray!
Lord, we do not come before you on the basis of our righteousness – but for Thy great mercies. Grant our petitions and restore your glory. AMEN
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