The Secret Of Prayer

Focus: Daniel 10:12 - KJV

12. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

Daniel 9:3-21

God is righteous and no unrighteous person can ascend His hills to commune with Him. Scriptures confirm that God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge even as it says we ask and receive not because we ask amiss. When a man commits iniquity against God, either by commission or omission, he simply tells God to hands off his affairs because God cannot really stick his iniquity. This is also true about a people. It is true that we cannot continue in sin and ask grace to abound. How can it be: that we throw mud on the face of the giver of grace and ask that He continues to pour it on us? Unless and until we first purge ourselves of our misdeeds, break ourselves down before Him in humility and then put forward our requests after the conviction of the availability of His mercy, we are not entitled to answers.

Cornelius was not a believer but he knew how to draw God’s mercy unto himself and God honored that to make him a believer, eventually. Daniel knew that God was not with Israel because of their perverse ways and not because God is wicked. He did not come to God with queries as to why God abandoned Israel but navigated his way into God’s heart by admitting the sins of their fathers and themselves. He did remind God of his loving kindness towards them in times past and His promises to the fathers. Of course, when God saw his contrite spirit and broken heart, He sent His messenger to give answers to Daniel’s request.

It does not matter how people look at us: whether we be called Pope, Bishop, Archbishop or Most Venerable Reverend doctor, in the sight of God, if we are filthy, we are filthy and can get nothing from Him except we first repent and get cleansed of our filthiness. The Lord is therefore saying that we should stop looking to Him for the cause of our failures and unanswered prayers. Rather, we should humble ourselves before Him, confessing our sins, purging ourselves of them and lifting up our arms unto Him for His lifting, we remain on our own and He cannot be expected to lift us in our filth particularly when He has made adequate provision for our cleansing in Christ. Let us take the advantage of that provision that we may start receiving speedy response to our petitions.

Please pray:

Father, we love you and hold on to your love for us since it is by your mercies and not our righteousness, that we have not been consumed. We humble ourselves before you today, please forgive us of all our straying away from you, in Jesus’ name. Like Israel of old, we are scattered away from the land that you prepared for us because of our sins. By your mercy today, please draw back our strength from the diaspora unto the land you have prepared for us that together we may continue to glorify your name thereat, in Jesus’ name. Send help urgently to us as your people and the sheep of your pastures so that strangers do not offset us in the land, in Jesus’ name. Let your light shine anew in our land in Jesus’ name.

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