Saturday, February 22,
2025
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 starting point 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 shouldn’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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