Childlike Prayers
Scripture
Daniel’s Prayer
1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:
“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him. (Daniel 9:1-14)
Reflection
Our prayers during childhood might have sounded like this: “God, please get me a bike for Christmas,” “Please give me a new video game for my birthday,” or “Help me to win my basketball game.” When you prayed your first prayers, what did they sound like? When I was younger, my prayers included, “Please help it to stop raining so we can play outside,” or “Please give me a good grade.”
Looking back on our childhood, these kinds of prayers put a smile on our face. There was nothing wrong with praying for a good grade, doing well in a basketball game, or about any of the other many things that concerned us; no doubt those prayers were honest and heartfelt. There is, however, wisdom and a lack of selfishness we learn as we grow in spiritual maturity; Jesus’ instructions recorded in Matthew 6 provide us with priorities important to God when we pray. We see those priorities reflected in the way Daniel speaks to God.
Daniel’s prayer highlights for us a selfless example of confession. Daniel could have prayed, “Lord, please forgive Jerusalem for their sins. However, he personalized his prayer. In the Message, Daniel 9:5 reveals the straightforward simplicity of Daniel’s confession as he prayed, “We sinned. We have done wrong.” The Message also demonstrates the simplicity of the Lord’s prayer: “Our Father in Heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what’s best—as above, so below.”
Eugene Peterson’s rendering of this passage reminds me of the prayers from our childhood memories. If selfishness is removed from them, these prayers are beautiful in honesty and simplicity. They reveal childlike trust, a quality illustrated in Daniel’s prayer as he cries, “Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill.” Our trust in God’s righteous acts of mercy, forgiveness, and promises draw us to the wonder of God, his Word, and His promises. May we be encouraged in this season of Lent to look to our great God in repentance as we trust in his promise of forgiveness and restoration.
Prayer
Father, thank you that we can always come to you when we sin, and that when we repent, you show us your loving kindness and forgive us. Help us to never lose sight of the simplicity of praying with an honest and repentant heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
2024 Lenten Journey
Adrian Brown