During my devotion time this morning I was especially moved by Daniel's prayer in Chapter 9. I keep a journal to write thoughts as I study, read and meditate over God's word. Here are some of my thoughts about this prayer:
1. It says that Daniel prayed and confessed - I thought about the need that I have on a regular basis to confess my sin before the Lord. How easy it is for me to see the sin in everyone around me but be so blind to my own sin.
2. In Daniel's prayer he lists a number of ways that we sin - rebellion, the scorning of God's commands, and refusing the listen to the words of the prophets.
3. The Lord is righteous in everything that He does.
4. The Lord is also very merciful and forgiving even though His people rebel. In the words of John Newton "I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior."
5. The people of Israel had to suffer curses and judgments because of their sin. It reminds me that sin always has a consequence in our lives.
6. The Lord rescued His people from Egypt to bring honor to His name.
7. I need to ask consistently for help from the Lord in every area of my life, not because I deserve God's help but because He is merciful.
As a last item for observation I wrote the question in my journal - "How are we to seek mercy from the Lord?" The answer is that we need to turn from sin (confess, confess, confess) and we are to recognize His truth!
