June 24, 2013
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Like our father Daniel, and like our father David, may we give ourselves unto prayer!
In my last post (here), I exhorted us to look back to our fathers who prevailed with God in prayer, and prayed that God would turn the hearts of the fathers back to us (Malachi 4:6), so we might prevail with God in prayer. May our God strengthen us and spur us on to the good work of prayer as we look back today to the example of our father Daniel, who walked in the ways of his father David. May God's Word go forth in His power, that through it, He make us wise unto salvation and equip us to give ourselves unto prayer.
Matthew Henry described Daniel's faithfulness in prayer to his God in spite of Darius' decree to the contrary in Daniel 6 (underlining mine):
"Here is 1. Proof made of Daniel's praying to his God, notwithstanding the late edict to the contrary ( 11): These men assembled; they came tumultuously together, so the word is, the same that was used ( 6), borrowed from Ps. ii. 1, Why do the heathen rage? They came together to visit Daniel, perhaps under pretence of business, at that time which they knew to be his usual hour of devotion; and, if they had not found him so engaged, they would have upbraided him with his faint-heartedness and distrust of his God, but (which they rather wished to do) they found him on his knees praying and making supplication before his God. For his love they are his adversaries; but, like his father David, he gives himself unto prayer, Ps. cix. 4."
" ... but I give myself unto prayer."
~ Psalm 109:4b (KJV) ~J.A. Alexander translates that clause as "and I (am) prayer," and calls it an "unusual expression." He renders the verse this way: "I am all prayer, I do nothing but pray."
"I prayer (so it is in the original); "I am for prayer, I am a man of prayer, I love prayer, and prize prayer, and practise prayer, and make a business of prayer, and am in my element when I am at prayer." A good man is made up of prayer, gives himself to prayer, as the apostles, Acts vi. 4."
~ Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on Psalm 109:4Our Father, for the sake of Your great and glorious name, return the hearts of our father Daniel and our father David to us, that we might be men and women and boys and girls who are all prayer –– who give ourselves unto prayer. We confess our sin of giving ourselves to all things but prayer. Forgive us, O holy God, for Jesus' sake, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Send forth Your Holy Spirit to work in us, so we might be known as a people who are for prayer, and a people of prayer, and a people who love prayer, and prize prayer, and practise prayer, and make a business of prayer, and are in our element when we are at prayer. Lord Jesus, in Luke 18, You asked if You would find faith on the earth when You return. O, Lord, as You look down upon us day after day, as well as on that Day when You return, by Your grace strengthening us, may you find us faithful in prayer –– faithful like the importunate woman, faithful like Daniel, and faithful like David. You have promised to equip us with all we need for doing Your will. We come to You for we have no strength of our own, but we humbly ask for Your mighty power to work in us so You might find us on our knees praying and making supplication before You, O God, for You alone are the LORD, You alone are the living God and the only true God. Like our father Daniel, and like our father David, may we give ourselves unto prayer!
* Please add your PRAYERS below as God's Holy Spirit leads you. *
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