Daniel's Prayer

Daniel 9: 1-14 New International Version (NIV)

Daniel’s Prayer
9 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes[a] 
(a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over 
the Babylonian[b] kingdom— 2 in the first year 
of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the 
Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD 
given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation 
of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I 
turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in 
prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth 
and ashes.
4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:
“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his 
covenant of love with those who love him and keep 
his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done 
wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; 
we have turned away from your commands and 
laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the 
prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, 
our princes and our ancestors, and to all the 
people of the land.
7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered 
with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of 
Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the 
countries where you have scattered us because of our 
unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes 
and our ancestors are covered with shame, LORD, because 
we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is 
merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled 
against him;10 we have not obeyed the LORD our God 
or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 
11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, 
refusing to obey you.
“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law 
of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us,
because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled 
the words spoken against us and against our rulers by 
bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven 
nothing has ever been done like what has been done to 
Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, 
all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought 
the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins 
and giving attention to your truth. 14 The LORD did not 
hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the LORD our 
God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not 
obeyed him.


The Lenten season is an opportunity for us, the followers of Christ, to reflect on the sacrifice Christ made for us during His time here on Earth. We are to turn to the Lord as Daniel
did in verse 3, “in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.” This season is not a time for celebration, but rather a time to pray, reflect, and walk around with ash covering our foreheads. The celebrating, though, will come soon enough.
Daniel’s prayer is one that also invites the reader into a time of prayer and reflection. This passage gives us a reminder of who we are and who God is. First, this prayer is one we may confess of ourselves: “we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened…” We have all fallen short of God’s glory and fail to live up to the commands He has given us to live by. This time of Lent is a time for us to reflect upon our shortcomings and to ask forgiveness of our sins. However, Daniel’s prayer also gives us hope by reminding us who God is: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands…” “Lord, you are righteous…” “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving…”. Our God is one of love, of righteousness, of mercy, and of forgiveness. Nothing, not even our own short comings, can separate us from the love of God. As the season of Lent progresses, I encourage you to reflect on your sins and shortcomings, as Daniel did, but also remember the joy that is to come in the sacrifice that God made for us.

Tana Tyler is a sophomore majoring in Psychology.