"13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 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.
17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
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.
19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name." (Daniel 9:13-19)
These are the verses I have spent the last few days trying to memorize. (Yes, I have successfully done so!) It's long, I know, and I commend you for reading it all! It is beautiful and it teaches a tragic lesson of love and mourning. Let's take a look at it, verse by verse.
Daniel starts off by saying that his people knew what would happen because they were warned. They just didn't want to believe that their God would punish them for their sins, so they didn't ask for help. This is classic of children. Actually, it is classic of people in general. We always think that we're right and no one is going to correct us, so we don't ask for help or guidance. This can lead to big trouble! It definitely led to trouble for the Israelites.
The next thing that Daniel notes is that God does punish His people. Anyone who has read the Bible knows that a good parent will chastise his children. However, Daniel also notes that God punishes His people lovingly. It is important to recognize the last part of that verse, because everything God does is righteous. What child willingly acknowledges that his parents were right in punishing him? Daniel makes sure to point that out for us. He recognizes that his people have disobeyed God, and that they deserve what is coming to them.
In verse 15 Daniel reveals what God has done for His people ("that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand..."). He tells us again how good God is, and then points out how wicked people are. This shows that people fall into temptation easier than they may like to admit. Even God's chosen people, who saw Him work in ways we can't even imagine, fell into one of Satan's traps.
Verse 16 turns the tables a little bit. Daniel decides here that he is going to challenge God (to some extent). He asks God to "turn thine anger and thy fury away from thy city Jerusalem." He is mourning for his nation. First, he tells God that he knows there is evil. Then, he says that they deserve the evil, because everything God does is right and good. After that he praises God's goodness and tells Him that he knows the people have sinned and done wickedly. So why does he ask God not to be angry? Why does he try to explain that the nation is already going through trouble? Keep reading.
Daniel continues to ask God not to be angry. Now he asks God to look upon His "sanctuary that is desolate." He knows that the only way that his people can come out of their turmoil is if they have God's help. And so he proceeds to beg God to save Israel. Again.
The last two verses are actually my favorite part. Daniel is still mourning for his country. But now, he's revealing his heart to God while he mourns. He tells God why Israel needs Him. He doesn't pour his heart out to God for his righteousness, but for God's great mercy. He knows that he is just a sinner, and that he isn't good enough for God. But he also recognizes God's great mercy and compassion. He knows that God loves His people, so he begs Him to show that great mercy once again.
Okay, now that we can see all of that clearly, let's compare it to our present-world state. Isn't America undergoing some evil? Europe? Asia? You name it? Isn't our world enduring some evil? More importantly, we were warned, weren't we? Just like Israel. And, just like Israel, God is angry. The difference is that there aren't very many Daniel's out there nowadays that are truly mourning for their country. Not many people are begging God to open His eyes and see our desolation. Very few people are asking God for guidance, help and forgiveness.
Our world needs more Daniels. People need to mourn for their country the way he did. Christians need to stand up and be heard. We need to take a look at our surroundings and fight for what we know is right. We need to call upon our omniscient, omnipotent God for guidance, help and forgiveness. We need to pray Daniel's prayer and mean it the way that he did.
This enlightenment has helped me "find me" in a way. It has helped me learn to mourn for the lost, for the world, for my nation. It has helped me learn to pray by revealing my heart to God. He knows it anyway, but He likes it when I'm willing to share with Him. This lesson has helped me get a little closer to God, because it came directly from Him.
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