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365 Devotionals: Lions and Visions

Memory Verse: “At the beginning of your supplications, the command [to give you an answer] was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly regarded and greatly beloved. Therefore consider the message and begin to understand the [meaning of the] vision.” Daniel 9:23 AMP

Song of The Day

Listen to “Let it Be” by “The Beatles.”

Bible Basis

September	Book	Read From	Read To	Devotional
17^th	Daniel	Chapter 7	Chapter 9	The Message

Key People

Here is a list of key people – the who’s who of overcomers, found in today’s reading (in order of appearance) with bios from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Daniel. A noble Jewish youth of Jerusalem, he is taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and serves the king and his successors with loyalty and ability until the time of the Persian conqueror Cyrus, all the while remaining true to the God of Israel.

Today’s Devotional Reading: Daniel 7-9

Daniel 7 Amplified Version (AMP)
Daniel 8 Amplified Version (AMP)
Daniel 9 Amplified Version (AMP)

Reflection

Daniel fasted and prayed for his people, humbly and sincerely desiring an answer concerning the people. He confessed and repented of the communal sin.

“So I directed my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. ⁴I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and extends lovingkindness toward those who love Him and keep His commandments, ⁵we have sinned and committed wrong, and have behaved wickedly and have rebelled, turning away from Your commandments and ordinances. ⁶Further, we have not listened to and heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.”
Daniel 9:3-6 AMP

The people were blessed to have Daniel praying for them. He stood in the gap between their sin and a righteous God. Daniel made a plea, appealing to God’s holiness and His relationship to the people.

O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
Daniel 9:19 AMP

Daniel had not even finished praying when God’s own chief messenger angel appeared to Daniel. He says that the command was given to send Daniel an answer at the beginning of his supplications. Daniel was able get a prayer through because he was highly regarded and greatly beloved as a man faithful to God and to those who had rule over him.

The Messenger, Gabriel Brings an Answer

²⁰While I was still 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, ²¹while I was still speaking in prayer and extremely exhausted, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me about the time of the evening sacrifice. ²²He instructed me and he talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and wisdom and understanding. ²³At the beginning of your supplications, the command [to give you an answer] was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly regarded and greatly beloved. Therefore consider the message and begin to understand the [meaning of the] vision.
Daniel 9:20-23 AMP

Of course Daniel was no stranger to hearing from God. But, how comforting to know that your prayers have been heard, that there will be answer. God will answer you, too.

¹²Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. ¹³If I shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or if I command locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence and plague among My people, ¹⁴and My people, who are called by My Name, humble themselves, and pray and seek (crave, require as a necessity) My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear [them] from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer offered in this place.
II Chronicles 7:12-15 AMP

References

« The Amplified Bible
« The King James Bible
« Wikipedia: Ezekiel

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Image Source: 365 Seeds of Promise by Shenica R. Graham.