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<v Speaker 1>The following message is from Faith Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

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<v Speaker 1>Join us on Sundays for our 8, 15, and 11 am worship services.

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<v Speaker 1>For more information, visit us online at faith-pcaorg or download the Faith PCA app.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you for tuning in to Faith's podcast ministry.

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<v Speaker 2>You have a copy of God's Word.

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<v Speaker 2>Please turn with me to the book of Daniel.

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<v Speaker 2>It's also printed for you in your bulletin.

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<v Speaker 2>This morning.

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<v Speaker 2>We have been going through the book of Daniel this fall and if you've been in our study, let me give you a brief summary in context, to catch you up on where we are.

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<v Speaker 2>So the first six chapters of Daniel are all these amazing stories that you probably maybe you grew up hearing, these narrative stories fiery furnace, lion's den, those sorts of stories.

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<v Speaker 2>And then we get to chapter seven and it says if Daniel slams on the brakes and takes a hard right, turn into what is called in the Bible apocalyptic literature.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's what we've been looking at the past couple of weeks and these crazy, strange visions.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, just when we were getting settled in, daniel slams on the brakes again and takes a hard left turn, this time not into apocalyptic literature but into his devotional life.

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<v Speaker 2>We go from apocalyptic literature to Bible study in prayer.

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<v Speaker 2>That's Daniel, chapter 9.

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<v Speaker 2>This passage in prayer just leveled me this week.

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<v Speaker 2>It is convicting, it is powerful and it is what God has for us on this Sunday before a national election.

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<v Speaker 2>This is God's Word In the first year of Darius, the son of Hasuerus, by descent Amid, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans.

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<v Speaker 2>In the first year of his reign, I, daniel, perceived in the books of the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolation of Jerusalem, namely 70 years.

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<v Speaker 2>And then I turned my face to the Lord, god, seeking Him by prayer and pleased for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

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<v Speaker 2>I prayed to the Lord, my God, and made confession, saying O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning against from your commandments and rules.

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<v Speaker 2>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.

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<v Speaker 2>To you, o Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to all of Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them because of the treachery that they have committed against you.

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<v Speaker 2>To us, o Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings and to our princes and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.

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<v Speaker 2>To the Lord, our God, belongs mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, our God.

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<v Speaker 2>By walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants, the prophets, all Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice.

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<v Speaker 2>In the curse and oath that is written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us because we have sinned against him.

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<v Speaker 2>He has confirmed his word, which he's spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us by bringing upon us a great calamity, for, under the whole heaven, there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem, as it is written in the law of Moses.

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<v Speaker 2>All this calamity has come upon us, yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord, our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.

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<v Speaker 2>Therefore, the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord, our God, is righteous in all the works that he has done and we have not obeyed his voice.

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<v Speaker 2>And now, o Lord, our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>At this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly, o Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from the city of Jerusalem, your holy hill.

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<v Speaker 2>Because of our sin and for the iniquity of our fathers, jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us.

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<v Speaker 2>Now, therefore, o God, listen to the prayers of your servant and to his pleas and, for your own sake, o Lord, make your face to shine upon the sanctuary, which is desolate.

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<v Speaker 2>O my God, incline your ear and hear, open your eyes and see the desolations in the city that is called by your name, for we do not present our pleas before you because of our own righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh Lord, hear, see the intensity go up.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh Lord, forgive.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh Lord, pay attention and act.

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<v Speaker 2>Delay, not for your own sake, oh my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.

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<v Speaker 2>This is God's word.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's pray, let's ask for the Spirit's help this morning.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's pray together.

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<v Speaker 2>Father, come in power.

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<v Speaker 2>I pray that you would set us ablaze with the glory of Jesus this morning, that we would see our sin and that we would be led to conviction, but at the same time we would see your mercy that you have given us in Jesus Christ.

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<v Speaker 2>Do those two things.

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<v Speaker 2>It is no accident that we are all here.

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<v Speaker 2>It's no accident that this is the passage before us this morning.

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<v Speaker 2>Speak, o Lord.

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<v Speaker 2>Speak.

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<v Speaker 2>We are listening.

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<v Speaker 2>In Jesus' name, amen.

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<v Speaker 2>Remember, as we study our Bibles, context we like to say around here is king, for understanding your Bible.

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<v Speaker 2>And so remember the context of the book of Daniel.

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<v Speaker 2>God's people are in exile.

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<v Speaker 2>They've been in exile for nearly 70 years because of their sin, rebellion and unfaithfulness to God.

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<v Speaker 2>They have lost everything.

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<v Speaker 2>They've lost their place of worship, the temple.

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<v Speaker 2>They've lost family members and friends.

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<v Speaker 2>They've lost their homeland temple.

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<v Speaker 2>They've lost family members and friends.

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<v Speaker 2>They've lost their homeland, their king and their government.

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<v Speaker 2>And now in Daniel, chapter 9, Daniel learns that the exile, that all of this, is nearing the end, and the first thing he does is he doesn't stop and raise the glass and offer a toast and say, yes, we are finally going home.

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<v Speaker 2>No, that's what I think I would do.

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<v Speaker 2>Daniel didn't do that.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, the first thing Daniel does is he gets on his knees and he starts to pray.

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<v Speaker 2>And we're going to look at this prayer this morning, his devotional life, and specifically we're going to look at what he prays and see what we can learn from his prayer that might help us in our own prayer life, might help us as we navigate our own devotional life, as we live as exiles in this world.

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<v Speaker 2>Daniel shows us three things in this prayer.

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<v Speaker 2>First of all, he pleads God's promises.

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<v Speaker 2>Secondly, he confesses his sin.

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<v Speaker 2>And lastly, he cries out for God's mercy, pleads God's promises, confesses sin, cries out for God's mercy.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's take those in turn this morning.

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<v Speaker 2>Number one he pleads.

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<v Speaker 2>We see, the first thing he does in this prayer is plead God's promises.

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<v Speaker 2>And you see that verse 1, darius is now in charge and so the Persians have destroyed the Babylonians at this point.

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<v Speaker 2>And in verse 2, we learn something very interesting that, daniel, he's doing Bible study.

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<v Speaker 2>He's studying the scroll of Jeremiah and most scholars agree that he is referring to and it's about the time when the God's people will get out of exile.

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<v Speaker 2>And he appears to be referring to Jeremiah 25 and Jeremiah 29, because those passages both mention the period of 70 years, and that's what Daniel mentions here.

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<v Speaker 2>Jeremiah 29, 10,.

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<v Speaker 2>God says when the 70 years are over, I'm going to intervene on your behalf, I'm going to fulfill my promises and I'm going to bring you back to the land.

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<v Speaker 2>Whether the 70 years is a round number, an exact number, a representative number, we really don't know, and it doesn't really matter that much to us here.

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<v Speaker 2>The point is that God has intervened, he's judged the Babylonians and Israel's discipline and exile appears to be nearing the end.

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<v Speaker 2>And I want you to think about this for a moment, Because these are the kinds of things I think about as I study a passage for the week.

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<v Speaker 2>But this I mean Daniel.

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<v Speaker 2>Here he's a prophet and he's in his 80s, so he's near the end of his life, and God's revealed all of these crazy visions to him, and he's high up in the government.

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<v Speaker 2>And God has spoken through Daniel and Daniel.

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<v Speaker 2>You never get the sense that Daniel says I've arrived Like, I'm in with God, I've got a direct line, I'm a prophet, god and I are tight.

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<v Speaker 2>No, daniel, in his 80s, near the end, is still humbly giving himself to God's Word.

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<v Speaker 2>He's teachable.

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<v Speaker 2>He is learning here from another prophet, the prophet Jeremiah, faithfully seeking God in his Word, and it's not just Jeremiah.

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<v Speaker 2>If you look through the prayer, you'll see that he clearly references Deuteronomy, that he references Exodus, that the historical books are running in the background of his heart and mind.

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<v Speaker 2>Daniel learned to pray from the words that God had given him, and I think that's the message for us this morning as we think about our own prayer life, as we think about our own devotional life.

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<v Speaker 2>We are not to treat God's Word as solely a place we go through for all of our theological information and knowledge.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, you get theology from the Word.

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<v Speaker 2>Of course, it's not to be just an encyclopedia where we have all of our problems and we go to the Bible for all the divine answers.

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<v Speaker 2>No, god's Word is our prayer book.

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<v Speaker 2>It is foundational for our prayer life.

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<v Speaker 2>It is where we learn to pray, and so I think that's helpful.

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<v Speaker 2>Maybe this morning you're saying, jason, I want to pray, I don't know how to pray.

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<v Speaker 2>Or maybe you're stuck and your prayer life feels dry.

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<v Speaker 2>This is a starting point and very helpful, because I think the answer is, and what this would say is open up your Bible and start praying God's promises back to him.

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<v Speaker 2>That's what Daniel does in this prayer.

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<v Speaker 2>He simply prayed that God would make good on his promises.

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<v Speaker 2>You see that all the way throughout this passage, we think, when we hear promises from God's word, maybe our temptation is to say great, god has promised it, I don't need to do anything.

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<v Speaker 2>No, those promises are meant to encourage you to pray those promises that God has made into your reality.

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<v Speaker 2>The Puritans used to call this pleading the promises.

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<v Speaker 2>You go to the Bible, you discover what God has promised you.

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<v Speaker 2>Then you go back to God and you go God, you promised, now do it.

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<v Speaker 2>See how bold that is.

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<v Speaker 2>Think about a parent-child relationship.

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<v Speaker 2>The parent and if you're a parent, perhaps you've done this you promise something to one of your children to take them somewhere or get them something.

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<v Speaker 2>And the time comes, doesn't it, where they're going to remind you of that promise.

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<v Speaker 2>They're going to say look, dad, mom, you promised.

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<v Speaker 2>Remember.

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<v Speaker 2>That's exactly what God wants from his children.

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<v Speaker 2>That's what God wants from us to go and say God, look, you promised, now do it.

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<v Speaker 2>What does that look like specifically and very practically?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, there are a hundred devotions on the promises of God in Scripture.

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<v Speaker 2>Find a good one and start praying those promises back to him.

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<v Speaker 2>But let me give you what that might look like from a few promises of Scripture this morning.

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<v Speaker 2>Philippians 1, 6, god's promise to complete the good work that he began in you.

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<v Speaker 2>And so maybe you're struggling, maybe you're having a hard time, you're in the middle of suffering or a trial.

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<v Speaker 2>Go to God and pray that he would work, that he would begin, that he would finish the work that he's begun in you, that he would shape you and break your pride and lead you to him and change you more and more into his image and show you your need for him.

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<v Speaker 2>Or John 14, 27,.

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<v Speaker 2>God has promised to give you peace in this world, and so, in the midst of maybe your stress and anxiety and the chaos and turmoil of the world and your life, go to God and say God, you promised me something.

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<v Speaker 2>Go to God and say God, you promised me something.

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<v Speaker 2>You've promised to give me peace, and I'm asking for you to do it, to give me a peace that surpasses all understanding.

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<v Speaker 2>Make good on your promise.

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<v Speaker 2>Or Psalm 23,.

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<v Speaker 2>God has promised to be your shepherd, to walk with you through the valley of the shadow of death, and so go to God and say God, watch over my soul, watch over the soul of the one I love.

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<v Speaker 2>We are in a dark valley.

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<v Speaker 2>You've promised to hold my hand and to be with me.

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<v Speaker 2>Now do it.

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<v Speaker 2>Revelation 21, 4,.

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<v Speaker 2>God's promised new heavens and new earth, where he will come and he will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

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<v Speaker 2>How about this?

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<v Speaker 2>God?

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<v Speaker 2>You promised you're coming.

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<v Speaker 2>Please come, jesus.

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<v Speaker 2>Come, lord Jesus, come and bring ultimate joy into this world.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you see it?

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<v Speaker 2>The foundation for our prayer life is praying God's promises back to him.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the first point.

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<v Speaker 2>Secondly, it gets a little tougher.

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<v Speaker 2>Heads up Confess our sin.

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<v Speaker 2>This is the longest point, but it's also the longest section of this passage.

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<v Speaker 2>And so let's look at this second point.

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<v Speaker 2>Confess your sin.

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<v Speaker 2>At this second point, confess your sin.

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<v Speaker 2>This is challenging.

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<v Speaker 2>It is even shocking.

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<v Speaker 2>Again, I think he doesn't celebrate them being released from exile.

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<v Speaker 2>The first thing he does is he prays, and I want you to notice the nature of the prayer.

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<v Speaker 2>He does not celebrate the fall of Babylon.

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<v Speaker 2>He does not celebrate the fall of Babylon.

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<v Speaker 2>He doesn't talk about how evil they were and all the evil things they did to God's people.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a new political party in charge, the Persians.

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<v Speaker 2>He doesn't mention them.

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<v Speaker 2>He doesn't say anything about hating them or calling down curses from God on them.

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<v Speaker 2>He doesn't pray for comfort.

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<v Speaker 2>He doesn't pray for protection.

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<v Speaker 2>You know what he prays about His own heart.

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<v Speaker 2>He doesn't pray about everything that's going on out there.

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<v Speaker 2>His prayer is focused on in here, on the people of God, and specifically on their sin and their repentance.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's walk through this passage.

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<v Speaker 2>Let me make some notes along the way.

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<v Speaker 2>Verse 3, fasting with sackcloth and ashes.

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<v Speaker 2>What's that all about?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it'd be like wearing black to a funeral.

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<v Speaker 2>When you wear black to a funeral, it's a way of humbling yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a way of posturing yourself with grief, and in this case, what he's wearing is posturing himself with the grief towards his own sin and towards the sin of the people of God.

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<v Speaker 2>That's what the sackcloth and ashes is about.

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<v Speaker 2>Look at verses 4 through 15.

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<v Speaker 2>Notice the way and you see this all the way through the prayer the way he's arranging this prayer.

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<v Speaker 2>You see the contrast between who God is.

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<v Speaker 2>Look at some of the words Great, awesome, keeps covenant, steadfast in love, righteous and just forgiving, merciful.

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<v Speaker 2>And then he talks about who Israel is Open, shame, wicked, rebellious, refuse to listen, refusing to obey.

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<v Speaker 2>And so you see this in this prayer.

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<v Speaker 2>He basically lines up God on one side, the holiness and glory of God on one side, and he lines up the people of God on the other, and he shows the tremendous gap between the two.

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<v Speaker 2>And it teaches us something about prayer, doesn't it that a rich and vibrant prayer life begins with recognizing who God is and who we are in relation to him.

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<v Speaker 2>Another thing to note look at verses 11 through 14, because maybe you hear this and you go, wow, some of this sounds harsh with the way God is treating his people.

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<v Speaker 2>Notice verses 11 through 14,.

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<v Speaker 2>His ways and his actions are right and they are.

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<v Speaker 2>Just Look at verse 14.

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<v Speaker 2>For the Lord, our God, is righteous in all of the things that he has done and we have not obeyed his voice.

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<v Speaker 2>Daniel is confessing here Lord, we are in exile and it's our fault.

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<v Speaker 2>He's saying we have done this.

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<v Speaker 2>It's not because you're not good God, it's not because you're not loving.

00:19:39.981 --> 00:19:42.523
<v Speaker 2>We're here because of our sin and our rebellion.

00:19:44.355 --> 00:19:48.525
<v Speaker 2>And, daniel, the point is that God has been faithful.

00:19:48.525 --> 00:19:49.626
<v Speaker 2>That's what Daniel is saying.

00:19:49.626 --> 00:19:51.250
<v Speaker 2>God, that God has been faithful.

00:19:51.250 --> 00:19:57.555
<v Speaker 2>That's what Daniel's saying God, you have been faithful to what you have said you would do.

00:19:57.555 --> 00:20:02.280
<v Speaker 2>You've been faithful to the warnings that you have given your people for centuries.

00:20:02.300 --> 00:20:03.824
<v Speaker 2>And I think we forget about this.

00:20:03.824 --> 00:20:13.402
<v Speaker 2>I know I do, but I think we're really quick to acknowledge God's faithfulness when everything's going great.

00:20:13.402 --> 00:20:14.384
<v Speaker 2>Yes, god, you are faithful.

00:20:14.384 --> 00:20:19.598
<v Speaker 2>No, friends, god is always faithful and sometimes we've learned this all the way through Daniel.

00:20:19.598 --> 00:20:30.607
<v Speaker 2>Sometimes that faithfulness can be severe, and exile in Babylon is God's severe faithfulness towards his people.

00:20:30.607 --> 00:20:33.801
<v Speaker 2>Why would God do that?

00:20:33.801 --> 00:20:36.000
<v Speaker 2>Sounds harsh.

00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:36.863
<v Speaker 2>No, it's loving.

00:20:36.863 --> 00:20:49.307
<v Speaker 2>God wants his people, he wants their hearts, he wants to purify them, he wants to bring them to repentance and bring them back home to himself.

00:20:51.655 --> 00:20:56.347
<v Speaker 2>And then also note the way Daniel grieves Israel's sin.

00:20:56.347 --> 00:21:02.247
<v Speaker 2>He doesn't say because, daniel, if you look through the book, he's a pretty upstanding guy.

00:21:02.247 --> 00:21:10.505
<v Speaker 2>He doesn't look at God's people and say man, these people, they need to get with the program.

00:21:10.505 --> 00:21:11.920
<v Speaker 2>They just don't get it.

00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:17.987
<v Speaker 2>No, did you notice that the pronouns are predominantly first-person plural?

00:21:17.987 --> 00:21:28.298
<v Speaker 2>We have sinned, we have acted wickedly and done wrong, we have not listened, we have rebelled.

00:21:28.298 --> 00:21:29.903
<v Speaker 2>Our shame.

00:21:29.903 --> 00:21:33.603
<v Speaker 2>And I think that's important for a couple of reasons.

00:21:33.603 --> 00:21:40.159
<v Speaker 2>Daniel is confessing these sins as his own, most of which get.

00:21:40.159 --> 00:21:42.625
<v Speaker 2>This occurred before he was even born.

00:21:42.625 --> 00:21:50.442
<v Speaker 2>And so why would he do that Well, because God's people are connected.

00:21:50.442 --> 00:22:01.523
<v Speaker 2>We're a covenant people, we are covenantally connected with one another and Daniel understood that and so he says he's able.

00:22:01.523 --> 00:22:06.582
<v Speaker 2>That helps him to be able to say we done this.

00:22:08.358 --> 00:22:14.268
<v Speaker 2>And it's also interesting to me that Daniel again he's presented in this book and these are some of the ways I think about scripture.

00:22:14.268 --> 00:22:22.895
<v Speaker 2>But he's presented in the book, and particularly the first six chapters, and it's like Daniel, he's the man I mean.

00:22:22.895 --> 00:22:28.506
<v Speaker 2>He's presented as obedient and upstanding and a faithful follower and, yes, that certainly is true.

00:22:28.506 --> 00:22:36.319
<v Speaker 2>But Daniel, we see very clearly, also sees himself as a sinner, desperately in need of the mercy of God.

00:22:36.319 --> 00:22:49.067
<v Speaker 2>Again, he's in his 80s, he's at the end of his life and he doesn't pull rank and say I'm holier than thou, like I'm a prophet, I've done my time.

00:22:49.067 --> 00:22:58.432
<v Speaker 2>No, he puts on sackcloth and ashes and he falls down and says God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

00:23:00.421 --> 00:23:06.883
<v Speaker 2>And all I could think about this week was God, make that true of my life, help me to be.

00:23:06.883 --> 00:23:20.971
<v Speaker 2>You know how age can in life can either make you cynical and bitter and hard-hearted, or it can soften you and make you repentant and very sensitive to your sin.

00:23:20.971 --> 00:23:38.712
<v Speaker 2>All week I just kept saying God, make that true of our church and make that true of my life personally, because, you see, one of the primary marks of a Christian is someone who continues throughout their life to grieve and mourn their sin.

00:23:38.712 --> 00:23:52.403
<v Speaker 2>And Daniel's main concern, the feel of this, and the thing that's most distressing to him, is he does not see that with the people of God, verse 13,.

00:23:52.403 --> 00:23:52.926
<v Speaker 2>Look at it.

00:23:52.926 --> 00:23:55.586
<v Speaker 2>All of this has come upon us.

00:23:55.586 --> 00:24:11.465
<v Speaker 2>We've lost everything and yet he says we've not entreated the Lord's favor, we have not repented, we've not turned from our sin, we haven't learned from this Very sobering.

00:24:11.465 --> 00:24:24.034
<v Speaker 2>We just got through with Reformation Sunday and Reformation Day and remember, at the heart of the Reformation was about the church reclaiming the gospel of grace.

00:24:25.800 --> 00:24:35.469
<v Speaker 2>In Martin Luther, the first of the 95 theses that he posts on the door of Wittenberg remember what number one out of 95?

00:24:35.469 --> 00:24:37.405
<v Speaker 2>You remember the first one?

00:24:37.405 --> 00:24:45.449
<v Speaker 2>It says this when our Lord and Master, jesus Christ, said repent, he willed that the entire life of who?

00:24:45.449 --> 00:24:57.232
<v Speaker 2>The believer, not the people out there the entire life of the believer should be one of repentance.

00:24:57.232 --> 00:25:04.951
<v Speaker 2>That is so convicting that that is what our entire life should look like.

00:25:04.951 --> 00:25:19.824
<v Speaker 2>Daniel's concern seems to be that there's very little repentance in Israel, there's very little confession of sin.

00:25:19.824 --> 00:25:22.593
<v Speaker 2>They've lost it all and, sadly, still no repentance, and I think that should give us pause this morning.

00:25:22.593 --> 00:25:37.075
<v Speaker 2>I mean, we at least have to ask the question right, could the exact same thing be said of the church and the people of God today?

00:25:37.075 --> 00:25:44.675
<v Speaker 2>You see, perhaps this is why this is the prayer that's recorded.

00:25:44.717 --> 00:25:59.707
<v Speaker 2>Daniel prayed a lot of prayers and we have this one recorded and, in God's providence, it is this passage that is before us on the Sunday of a national election, and I find that very interesting.

00:25:59.707 --> 00:26:09.376
<v Speaker 2>Yes, 1 Timothy, chapter 2, we pray for our leaders, we pray for our country, we pray for our government, we pray for this election.

00:26:09.376 --> 00:26:12.083
<v Speaker 2>We've done that in the service this morning.

00:26:12.083 --> 00:26:14.810
<v Speaker 2>Hopefully you've been praying that for months and weeks.

00:26:14.810 --> 00:26:22.534
<v Speaker 2>Yes, but it's very easy, I think, particularly in seasons like this.

00:26:22.534 --> 00:26:30.932
<v Speaker 2>We tend to do it all the time, but in seasons like this, to look outside and say that's the biggest problem.

00:26:30.932 --> 00:26:33.166
<v Speaker 2>Daniel doesn't do that in this prayer.

00:26:33.166 --> 00:26:39.932
<v Speaker 2>His starting point should be our starting point.

00:26:39.932 --> 00:26:54.733
<v Speaker 2>His starting point should be our starting point, and that is to get on our knees and say God, we have failed you, we have grieved your heart.

00:26:54.733 --> 00:26:59.740
<v Speaker 2>We have rebelled against you.

00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:17.248
<v Speaker 2>I read this quote this week Herman Beldkamp, listen to this what distinguishes us from the world is not that we are less wicked, but that, by the grace of God, we have learned to see our wickedness for what it is and we confess our sins.

00:27:17.248 --> 00:27:23.792
<v Speaker 2>The church, he goes on to say, is the only body on earth that confesses sin.

00:27:23.792 --> 00:27:26.202
<v Speaker 2>Think about that.

00:27:26.202 --> 00:27:28.851
<v Speaker 2>You don't confess sin at the school board meeting.

00:27:28.851 --> 00:27:33.310
<v Speaker 2>The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts don't have a confession of sin.

00:27:33.310 --> 00:27:36.609
<v Speaker 2>You don't get it at the Rotary Club.

00:27:36.609 --> 00:27:37.313
<v Speaker 2>Where do you get it?

00:27:37.313 --> 00:27:38.036
<v Speaker 2>At the church.

00:27:38.036 --> 00:27:40.103
<v Speaker 2>That's why you could probably make an argument.

00:27:40.523 --> 00:28:02.412
<v Speaker 2>We got a lot of things going on in the service, but the confession of sin every week is really, really important, because he ends the quote by saying where the confession of sin dies out, the church is no longer the church, and so where do we need to confess our sin?

00:28:02.412 --> 00:28:09.509
<v Speaker 2>Where do we need to repent this morning and cry out for God's mercy?

00:28:09.509 --> 00:28:15.085
<v Speaker 2>Lastly, we need to cry out for God's mercy.

00:28:15.085 --> 00:28:17.068
<v Speaker 2>Look at verses 16 and 17.

00:28:17.068 --> 00:28:26.869
<v Speaker 2>It's interesting bulk of the prayer is confession and he has this petition and it's petition for mercy, and he leans into the character of God.

00:28:26.869 --> 00:28:27.852
<v Speaker 2>Look at verse 18.

00:28:29.099 --> 00:28:34.981
<v Speaker 2>For we do not present our pleas before you because of our own righteousness, but because of your mercy.

00:28:34.981 --> 00:28:39.833
<v Speaker 2>If you have not been listening up until this point, would you please listen now?

00:28:39.833 --> 00:28:44.795
<v Speaker 2>Listening up until this point?

00:28:44.795 --> 00:28:46.278
<v Speaker 2>Would you please listen now?

00:28:46.278 --> 00:28:55.930
<v Speaker 2>In the midst of your rebellion and your sin, you cannot, and this is a call, don't plead your own righteousness before God.

00:28:55.930 --> 00:29:05.641
<v Speaker 2>Whatever you're feeling this morning, with your sin and rebellion and open shame, you cannot stand on your own.

00:29:05.641 --> 00:29:16.445
<v Speaker 2>No matter how much you cry, how sincere your faith is, how sincere your confession is or your repentance, you cannot secure God's blessing and earn His favor.

00:29:16.526 --> 00:29:20.969
<v Speaker 2>It's been said that even our tears of repentance are stained with sin.

00:29:20.969 --> 00:29:26.852
<v Speaker 2>Your only hope, my only hope, is the mercy of God found in Jesus Christ.

00:29:26.852 --> 00:29:32.034
<v Speaker 2>It is why Daniel here does not appeal to his own righteousness.

00:29:32.034 --> 00:29:37.636
<v Speaker 2>He appeals all the way through the prayer, to God's righteousness and to God's mercy.

00:29:37.636 --> 00:29:40.077
<v Speaker 2>Notice the Lord in all caps.

00:29:40.077 --> 00:29:42.028
<v Speaker 2>Do you see that?

00:29:42.028 --> 00:29:43.980
<v Speaker 2>That is the covenant, personal name of God.

00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:47.146
<v Speaker 2>The word there steadfast love.

00:29:47.146 --> 00:29:49.530
<v Speaker 2>Verse four mercy.

00:29:49.530 --> 00:29:53.884
<v Speaker 2>Four times in the passage, forgiveness is mentioned a couple of times.

00:29:53.884 --> 00:29:55.087
<v Speaker 2>Why is he doing that?

00:29:55.087 --> 00:30:01.547
<v Speaker 2>He's saying God, this is who you are and I want you to be true to who you are.

00:30:03.390 --> 00:30:04.811
<v Speaker 2>Exodus 34 6.

00:30:04.811 --> 00:30:16.201
<v Speaker 2>Remember that the Lord all caps is described as slow to anger, full of mercy and grace and abounding and steadfast love and faithfulness.

00:30:16.201 --> 00:30:26.942
<v Speaker 2>And Daniel, he, he, he had no idea, did he, of just how merciful God really was.

00:30:26.942 --> 00:30:39.455
<v Speaker 2>He had no idea that centuries later, god would be so merciful that he would come in the person of Jesus Christ, the greater and better Daniel, and wouldn't be forced into exile.

00:30:39.455 --> 00:30:44.943
<v Speaker 2>But he would willingly choose to go into exile for his people.

00:30:44.943 --> 00:30:57.547
<v Speaker 2>And Jesus would come and be perfect and sinless and have perfect covenant, faithfulness to God and his covenant, and he would go to a cross.

00:30:57.547 --> 00:31:08.212
<v Speaker 2>And Jesus would have the fullness of the covenant curses and the fullness of exile poured out on him and he would die in our place.

00:31:08.212 --> 00:31:24.300
<v Speaker 2>And here's the gospel Through faith in Jesus Christ, your sin and rebellion is forgiven and you get Jesus' perfect covenant faithfulness credited to your account and imputed to you.

00:31:24.300 --> 00:31:27.068
<v Speaker 2>Is that not unbelievable?

00:31:27.068 --> 00:31:29.736
<v Speaker 2>That is the good news of the gospel.

00:31:30.056 --> 00:31:44.088
<v Speaker 2>You have a God think about this with me who's willing to let the severity of his own faithfulness fall on himself in order to be with you for all eternity and to bring his people back home.

00:31:44.088 --> 00:32:03.751
<v Speaker 2>Friends, getting that in your bones and in your soul, that's what's going to lead you to being 80 or at the end of your life and still living a life of repentance and a life of humility and confession of sin.

00:32:03.751 --> 00:32:07.990
<v Speaker 2>One of my favorite verses Romans 2, 4, it is the gospel.

00:32:07.990 --> 00:32:15.134
<v Speaker 2>It says it's the kindness and mercy of God that leads you to a life of repentance and confession of sin.

00:32:15.134 --> 00:32:26.666
<v Speaker 2>Hear, this Repentance and confessing your sin doesn't come from beating yourself up and saying I got to do this, I got to make myself do this.

00:32:26.666 --> 00:32:37.632
<v Speaker 2>No, it comes from appealing, like Daniel, to the one thing in your life that you know will never fail you, and that is the love and the mercy of God expressed in Jesus Christ.

00:32:37.632 --> 00:32:46.306
<v Speaker 2>We confess our sin and we repent not to get God, but because we've already got God and because he will never let us go.

00:32:48.730 --> 00:32:50.054
<v Speaker 2>And so where are you this morning?

00:32:50.054 --> 00:32:53.423
<v Speaker 2>Maybe you're like Israel.

00:32:53.423 --> 00:32:57.393
<v Speaker 2>Maybe your life is full of open shame.

00:32:57.393 --> 00:33:00.964
<v Speaker 2>Maybe it's full of rebellion.

00:33:00.964 --> 00:33:03.661
<v Speaker 2>Maybe you've ignored God, refused to listen to God.

00:33:03.661 --> 00:33:09.333
<v Speaker 2>Maybe you feel like you have ruined everything and you need to be restored.

00:33:11.079 --> 00:33:13.223
<v Speaker 2>Daniel's prayer gives you a way back home.

00:33:13.223 --> 00:33:23.384
<v Speaker 2>Daniel's prayer is a prayer of hope, is a prayer of hope, appeal to the promises of God, appeal to His character.

00:33:23.384 --> 00:33:34.640
<v Speaker 2>Confess your sin, give up hope in yourself and place both feet firmly on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus.

00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:47.161
<v Speaker 2>O Lord, hear, o Lord, forgive, o Lord, pay attention and act.

00:33:47.161 --> 00:33:49.525
<v Speaker 2>Do not delay, because your city and your people are called by your name.

00:33:49.525 --> 00:33:49.704
<v Speaker 2>Amen.

00:33:52.730 --> 00:34:10.317
<v Speaker 2>Before I pray, I don't think I've ever done this, but I'm going to give you a couple of minutes to pray silently and I want you to reflect on what God has taught us, but I also want you to give thanks for Jesus and the mercy of God.

00:34:10.317 --> 00:34:12.521
<v Speaker 2>Take a minute and then we'll go to the table.

00:34:12.521 --> 00:35:03.331
<v Speaker 2>Father, father, thank you for loving us, thank you for being merciful to us instead of giving us what we deserve, and we do ask for your forgiveness we desperately need it for the ways that we have ignored you and rebelled against you.

00:35:03.331 --> 00:35:28.090
<v Speaker 2>Holy Spirit, I pray, if there's someone here that's never experienced your grace and your mercy through Jesus Christ, I pray that you would give them faith, that you'd soften their hearts, you'd draw them to yourself, give them eyes to see and ears to hear the goodness and the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

00:35:28.090 --> 00:35:32.157
<v Speaker 2>We ask these things in his name, amen.