Message: " Perservance In Prayer " Part 2

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty.  To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people) Ephesians 6:18 Amp.

Daniel was a great man of prayer; through his persistence in prayer, Israel was released from captivity.  Darius was King over the Chaldeans, and Daniel took it upon himself to read the book of the prophet Jeremiah.  “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by the books the number of years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for the city and thy people are called by thy name. And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understand.  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy…” Daniel 9:1-25.

 So Daniel was heard, and we see the angel Gabriel come to him with answers.  Also, we see the Spirit of God stir up the heart of a wicked king as a result of Daniel’s prayer.  In Ezra 1:1-2, “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”  You see, the reason Israel was in captivity was because they rebelled against God and did not let the land rest every seven years; therefore the land had a forced rest.  God stirred the heart of Cyrus, a wicked king, to release the Jews, and he sent them back to Jerusalem to build a house.  This king also supported the building of the house.  Also, at the time of Israel’s captivity, the temple was destroyed and a new temple had to be erected.  Daniel longed for his homeland, he prayed at the time of the evening oblation without a temple building, and he was a man greatly beloved for his commitment to prayer and love for his people. God is always looking for someone to lift up a need to Him for someone else.  Daniel admitted they had sinned and asked for forgiveness and called upon God’s mercy to help.

Elder Carolyn Prescod