Topic: THE PRAYER OF DANIEL. [Church of God Mission International] CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHO0L MANUAL 1 JANUARY 2023
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CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHO0L MANUAL
SUNDAY 1ST, JANUARY 2023.
HYMN: S. S. & S. 319 “What a friend we have in Jesus.”
TOPIC: THE PRAYER OF DANIEL.
TEXT: DANIEL 9: 1-20; JAMES 5: 16 -17.
CENTRAL THOUGHT: Persistence in prayer is a sure way of receiving answers to our prayer.
INTRODUCTION:
The prayer of Daniel was recorded during the captivity of Judah in Babylon, under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II. In his study of the scriptures, Daniel understood that the captivity was to last for seventy years, according to the prophecy ofJeremiah. He saw the affliction of his people in the hands of the Babylonian soldiers and was so much grieved in his heart that he felt he should seek for their freedom. He also understood that the captivity was a curse and judgment written in the law of Moses the servant of God, which they disobeyed. He then decided to seek the face of God and intercede on behalf of his people, so he
went into supplication with fasting before God, asking for forgiveness and pardon for their sin of disobedience to His commandments.
In this study we shall be examining the prayer of
Daniel and the possible
lessons we can draw from it.
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
The objectives of this study are to:
- know what led to Daniel’s prayer,
- examine what Daniel’s prayer was
- understand how Daniel prayed; and
- draw lessons from Daniel’s prayer
BIBLE TRUTH:
Q1. WHAT LED TO
DANIEL’S PRAYER?
Daniel 9:2.
Daniel was one of the people carried into captivity during the invasion of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar. By divine placement, he was one of the officers in the palace of the king. He saw the affliction of his people under their slavemasters, was burdened and grieved in his spirit. In his study of the Scriptures, he understood the prophecy ofJeremiah concerning the captivity and the period it would last (seventy years), and discovered that they were
not supposed to stay beyond the stipulated period. He also understood that it was a
punishment from God for the Sins of Judah. He decided to seek the face of God and intercede for their freedom.
Q2. WHAT WAS DANIEL’Ss
PRAYER? Dan. 9:9-12.
Daniel’s prayer was in three
dimensions:
(i) Prayer of confession:
He realized that their
predicamenht was the
consequences of their sins
against God, so he started by
acknowledging before God,
that they were truly guilty of
the offence. He first declared
the attributes of God that gave
him the boldness to approach
Him-But the Lord our God
is merciful” (NLT) and
thereafter went into
confession of their sins and the
sins of their fathers.
(ii) Supplication/intercession:
He went ahead and pleaded
with God to listen and hear His servant’s prayer for His name’s sake. He requested that God should open His eyes, see their despair, and see Jerusalem, the city that bore His name, lie in ruins: that the neighbouring Nations mocked Jerusalem and His
people for their sins.
(iii) Prayer of mercy:
Daniel attributed the
judgment of God upon His
people to their refusal to ask God for mercy, though they knew that He is merciful and forgiving. He then pleaded for mercy and said, “In view
of all your faithful mercies, Lord please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain”.(NLT) acknowledged that he is asking for mercy not because they deserved help. In his words We make this plea,
not because we deserve help, but because of your
mercy (NLT).
Q3. HOW DID DANIEL
PRAY? Dan. 9:3.
Daniel fasted in the cause of his prayers, putting on sack clothes and sprinkled ashes on his head, in accordancee with the mode of fasting in
Jerusalem then. He also prayed with burden/passion, consistency, perseverance and sincerity of heart, without excusing himself from
offence. He pleaded earnestly for God’s intervention.
Q4. WHAT LESSONS
CAN WE DERIVE FROM
DANIEL’S PRAYER?
There are many lessons we can derive from Daniel’s prayer.
() We need to study the word of God diligently to discover the will and purpose of God
for our lives (2 Tim. 2:15)
(i) Daniel did not excuse
himself from the cause of the calamity that befell Judah, though it was the error of their
fathers. The error of one in a congregation, did affect the whole congregation (Josh. 7: 1)
(ii) We should be concerned
about the affairs of others and try to be of help. Daniel saw
the freedom of his people as his Personal
burden/problem/responsibility and took action. (Ps. 69: 9 &
10)
(iv) Learn to intercede for one another, the Church, the Nation, people in leadership positions, people who are facing challenges of life in
any form, etc.
(v) Ignorance can rob us of God’s blessings. (Hosea 4:6)
Class to mention others.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
Believers are encouraged to give themselves to constant study of the word of God, to be aware of their rights and privileges as children of God.
It is also important that we, as Christians, should engage in intercessory prayers. The Scripture enjoins us to pray
for one another. So, we need to widen the scope of our prayer pattern to
accommodate as many as
need our prayers.
MEMORY VERSE:
JAMES 5:16b
“The effective fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much”
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