The Groundwork Of Prayer - Daniel

I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the LORD, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. So I turned to the LORD God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.

Daniel 9:2-3

When God is about to bring big changes into your life—marriage, fatherhood, a major career change—how do you prepare for what’s coming? Do you just wait to see what happens, or do you become proactive and begin to prepare yourself?

The prophet Daniel, who lived with his exiled Hebrew countrymen in Babylon, once found himself in such a situation. He set a perfect example for us of what to do when big changes are afoot.

As Daniel read Jeremiah’s prophecies about the Babylonian exile, he realized that the seventy predicted years of captivity had nearly run their course. Daniel knew that God would shortly be up to something, and sooner rather than later.

Daniel didn’t know exactly what God had in mind, so he did the one thing he knew to do in such a situation: seek God in prayer. He fasted, confessed his sins, praised, and pleaded with God to give him some answers. In response, God sent the angel Gabriel to explain to him the exact meaning of the visions he had seen and the prophecies he had read (see Daniel 9:21-27).

Since Daniel wanted to be ready for what God planned to do with him and his people, he prayed. What do you do when you sense that God is about to do something big in your life or in the lives of those you love?

God promises to reward and bless you when you sincerely seek him (see Hebrews 11:6). All he asks is that you have the faith to believe that he exists and that he keeps his promises. So pray fervently and persistently, and God will allow you to see him at work within you and on your behalf.