Answered Prayer, for Daniel and for Me

Daniel 9:20-23:  "Now while 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 in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.  And he gave me instruction and talked with me, and said, 'O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight and understanding.  At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.'"
I don't want to leave my study comments on Daniel without this notice of Daniel's answered prayer.  Daniel gives us the context and then Gabriel's comment.  How wonderful it must have been for Daniel to hear that he would receive the insight and understanding he so wanted.  We can be sure that he gave heed to the message and gained understanding of the vision.
I can't exactly compare my recent experience of answered prayer to that of Daniel.  However, it seems like a good time and place to praise God for His dealings with me.
Like many, I struggle with anxiety regarding the future and know a lot of Scriptures which help me with that tendency.  From time to time, I am tempted to regret the past--second guessing decisions taken long ago, wondering if I had missed God's better will regarding education or job choices, etc.
Recently at church, I was thinking along those lines and wondering who could help me find verses to help me through this, praying almost casually in my mind as I struggled.  Before I had the opportunity to mention this to anyone, the Lord began to direct me to a number of passages, including these two:
Ecclesiastes 7:10:  "Say not, 'Why were the former days better than these?'  For it is not from wisdom that you ask this."
Philippians 3:12-16:  "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Jesus Christ has made me his own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus.  Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.  Only let us hold true to what we have attained."
Since He brought these and others to my remembrance, I have shared them with several others, and decided to put them on today's blog also; watch for more in the next weeks as I continuing praising Him for answering prayer, even before it has been completed in thought.

Final Entry Using Psalm 111 and Thoughts about the Prayer of Daniel in Chapter 9

Psalm 111:9-10:  "He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever.  Holy and awesome is his name!  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.  His praise endures forever!"

Daniel 9:17-19:  "Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.  O my God, incline your ear and hear.  Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name.  For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive.  O Lord, pay attention and act.  Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name."

As I come to the last entry for this study, I am struck by these things:
(1) Daniel's prayer was begun after he had studied the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremish;
(2) Verses 4-16 focus on the sins of the people and the rightness of God in judging them; it isn't until verse 17 that Daniel began his plea for mercy;
(3) Daniel based his request not on the righteousness of the people (or even on his own righteousness) but on the character of God.

Applications:
(1) Our prayers need to be informed by Scripture.
(2) We need to consider whether we skip over confession too quickly.
(3) We must also base our petitions on the character of God.

Worship and study go together:
Psalm 111:1-2: "Praise the LORD!  I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.  Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them."

Returning to Psalm 111 and Daniel 9
Last Tuesday was post-less because Garry and I were serving as poll workers for the primary election here in CA, which took all my energy.
Since then I have returned in my study to Psalm 111 and to Daniel 9. 
Psalm 111:5-8 reads:  "He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.  He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations.  The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are establised forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness."
Look at Daniel 9:8-16 and you well read a lament for all the disobedience of the kings, princes, fathers, all Israel, which has brought not blessing but cursing as God promised.
Take Daniel 9:12-14 as a sampling:  "He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity.  For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.  As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.  Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it ipon is, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice"
How often does our disobedience not only cause us to experience calamity but also to miss blessing?  One experession from 9:13 particularly struck me:  yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.
Both are necessary; if we don't turn from our iniquities, we won't be able to gain insight from his truth.

Second in series using Psalm 111 and Daniel 9
Psalm 111:3-4
Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.  He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful.

Daniel might well have had that in mind in part when he prayed:
Daniel 9:4-5
I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances."

As I noted last time, this also reminds me of Deuteronomy 7:9 where Moses stated:  "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments" while Deuteronomy 7:10 goes on to say, "but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face."

Daniel prayed accordingly, confessing both God's mercy and His judgment.  More than that, Daniel referred to the disobedient nation not as "them" but as "we," something astonishing as nowhere do we see Daniel as anything but obedient.

Two points to consider:
1. Daniel included himself in the "we" in beginning his confession; why? 
2. Think of the many ways Daniel described sinning:  sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, turned aside from God's commands and ordinances; how many ways do we describe sin?  Are we easy on ourselves, as if to say, if my sins are not acted out, they aren't as significant as those which are?  See Matthew 5-7 for further consideration.