SERIES: 27 Daniel - I Dare You MESSAGE: I Dare You: Pray! SPEAKER: Skip Heitzig SCRIPTURE: Daniel 9:1-5

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1 SERIES: 27 Daniel - I Dare You MESSAGE: I Dare You: Pray! SPEAKER: Skip Heitzig SCRIPTURE: Daniel 9:1-5 MESSAGE SUMMARY I have never met a person who's regretted praying too much. I've met plenty who've regretted praying too little. Prayer is the one activity that everybody knows they need, but few actually do. It's preached often, but practiced seldom. Forgive me if I'm dispensing guilt that's not my intention. I'd rather take a peek into the busy life of an ancient executive (Daniel), and see the role prayer played for him and, in so doing, get fired up about this most powerful of activities! DETAILED NOTES I. Introduction A. Does God speak like He used to speak? 1. Perhaps people don't listen like they used to 2. There are not written revelations like there used to be 3. In our fast-paced society, we don't pause and listen to God 4. The movie Castaway a. Tom Hanks plays Chuck Nolan, a busy Fed-Ex executive, who crashed into the ocean and landed on a deserted Island b. He befriended a volleyball he called Wilson c. He talked to the volleyball; he never once talked to God 5. People will talk to everyone but God B. Daniel is a prophet and a businessman who talked to God 1. The result of him talking to God is one of the richest prophecies in all of the Bible 2. It has been called the backbone of biblical prophecy 3. Daniel chapter 9 gives both prophecy and prayer; it shows us how to talk to God 4. People all over the world pray; even atheists pray in the right circumstances 5. Sweet little boy who prayed for a bicycle C. Don't want to guilt you into praying 1. Pretty much every believer recognizes that they are lax in this area 2. Be encouraged by Daniel, what he did, how he did it, and the role it had in his life II. Three true statements about prayer A. Prayer should be prominent 1. Daniel prayed Page 1

2 a. In the year of Darius the Mede; 538 BC b. The king was Cyrus c. Darius used Daniel to rule over part of the kingdom i. Daniel chapter 6 and 9 were the same timeframe ii. Daniel was one of three governors of the Babylonian territory d. Daniel was busy, important, and old; he still found time to pray a lengthy prayer e. From the beginning of his captivity in Babylon, as a teenager, he prayed i. In Daniel chapter 2, he was 19 or 20 years old; Daniel prayed for God to show him the interpretation for King Nebuchadnezzar's dream ii. As a young man, he turns his panic into prayer iii. The Bible says to be anxious about nothing, but through prayer to take your requests to God (see Philippians 4:6-7) iv. Church sign during one of the wars: "If your knees knock, kneel on them" 2. Chapter 6 is the parallel to this chapter a. Darius is in charge, he appoints Daniel as one of three governors b. The other guys are jealous and try to get Daniel fired i. They knew that he loved God ii. They knew he prayed a lot iii. They had a law made that no one could pray to any God but only to Darius iv. Daniel prayed as he always had done a) Daniel always prayed b) It was a preoccupation c. Daniel was a businessman d. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27) e. You can be all in no matter what you do f. When you pray, it's an exercise of dependence and humility 3. How prominent is prayer in your life? a. Average computer user spends 49 minutes per day managing s b. Do you spend 49 minutes a day in prayer? c. The average Christian spends 3-4 minutes a day in prayer B. Prayer should be prompted 1. Daniel's prayer is prompted by his reading of the Word 2. As he is studying, something catches his attention 3. God speaks to him and he prays to God, it's a conversation 4. George Müller's book on prayer, Answers to Prayer, is one of the very best books on prayer a. He said that prayer was even more important than service to the Lord Page 2

3 b. Prayer is most effective after the inner man has been nourished by the Word of God c. The will of God is never contrary to Scripture d. His prayers were prompted by the Word of God to his heart 5. Daniel was reading the book of Jeremiah when he was prompted to pray this prayer a. 70 years were prophesied b. It was now year 67 of the 70 c. Time's almost up! d. Then he prays about it e. Jeremiah 25 and 29 speak about the 70 years 6. Daniel believed in a literal interpretation of Bible prophecy a. 70 years meant 70 years b. 144,000 Jews means 144,000 Jews (see Revelation 14:1) 7. Daniel realized that he was on the threshold of fulfilled prophecy a. Some would say that studying Bible prophecy distracts you from the present b. God speaks about the future a lot c. It did not distract Daniel, it motivated him in the present tense 8. His prayer was driven by what he read a. Let what you say to God be prompted by what God says in his word b. Book Drawing Near by Kenneth Boa; the Word of God prayed to Him c. The prayer that God accepts is the prayer that God directs d. Every day, George Whitfield read his Bible on his knees e. It's a dialogue; that's a relationship f. According to Jesus Christ, we have the authority to draw checks from the bank of heaven (see John 14:13) i. But, it has to conform to heavenly policy ii. The only way we will know that is by knowing what is written in God's Word g. Why did Daniel need to pray about something that God had said would happen? i. Prayer is a cooperation; an aligning of my will with God's will a) We know Jesus is coming, yet John ends the book of Revelation with a prayer (see Revelation 22:20-21) b) As Daniel prayed, God gave him further insight c) How hungry are you? C. Prayer should be passionate 1. Daniel was engaged physically and emotionally a. Sackcloth and ashes b. Prayers and supplications Page 3

4 i. It's a prayer that involves a level of intensity; includes emotion with it ii. Strong, authentic, pleading from the heart iii. New Testament: "Fervent, effectual prayer" (see James 5:16) iv. Greek word is energeó v. Pray with energy vi. This is a biblical principle vii. Jesus taught this principle (see Luke 11:5-8) viii. Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened" (see Matthew 7:7-8) ix. Continue to ask, seek, knock; be persistent in prayer x. Throughout Scripture, there is lot said about how to do it with our bodies and our emotions xi. Western white audiences are known to be very dry a) The Bible speaks of people raising their hands to pray b) Paul wrote to Timothy that he wanted men in church to lift up holy hands (see 1 Timothy 2:8) c) Raising the hands conveys welcome d) Skip's grandson lifts his arms to him; it's a welcome sign e) Don't be afraid to raise your hands to God f) It is a sign of surrender; you're all in g) You can't do anything else while your hands are up h) Be welcoming to the Lord and completely surrendered i) The Bible speaks of kneeling and beating the breast during prayer j) Interesting that the Bible says nothing about closing your eyes during prayer III. Three principles A. Live intentionally; set spiritual goals B. Read carefully; read your Bible, carry it with you 1. Mull over what it says 2. What does it say about God, myself, my goals? 3. Is there a warning or a promise for me? C. Pray relationally; you are talking to a person 1. Never allow your prayer to just degenerate into words (lead, guide, bless) 2. When Skip was young, he was taught to memorize prayers; this allowed him to do anything while he was praying 3. Reevaluate your relationship to God: Is He your all in all? Page 4

5 Greek terms: ἐνεργέω; energeó, I work, accomplish, am operative External Resources: Castaway, Answers to Prayer by George Müller, Drawing Near by Kenneth Boa Figures referenced: Tom Hanks, Darius the Mead, George Müller Cross references: Jeremiah 25, Jeremiah 29, Daniel 2, Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 10:27, Luke 11:5-8, John 14:13, Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Timothy 2:8, James 5:16, Revelation 14:1, Revelation 22:20-21 Topic: Prayer Keywords: God, Jesus, Word, Scripture, prophecy, Daniel Page 5