prayer

m01700

Daniel is speaking with Gabriel the Arch angel when Gabriel declares to Daniel: Dan 9:23, "...for thou art greatly beloved...." Again in Dan 10:11, an angel, probably Gabriel again declares, "And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved...." Then in 10:19 the same angel states, "And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not. Peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong...."

It would seem since the angels are messengers, that these statements of Daniel being beloved were from God. God's estimation of the man Daniel must have been very high to send such a message three times via a very special messenger.

The question that arises is, why was God's estimation of Daniel so high? There are two distinct and probably intertwined possibilities as you read through the book of Daniel. 1. Daniel was a man that was determined to stand for God and God alone, no matter what the consequences. 2. Daniel was a man of prayer of the highest order. When you have time just read through the book of Daniel and notice the prayers of this man of God.

I'm not saying that just because we gather together to pray that we will increase God's estimation of ourselves, but I rather believe that we will. God desires that we approach Him with our needs and problems. If we are doing what He desires us to do, then we will definitely please Him.

NO, we do not want to attend prayer meeting to impress the Lord, but to do what He desires us to do.

Daniel, I believe had the strength to take the stand for God that he did due to the fact that He was a prayer warrior.

As we come together for prayer, I'm certain that there are some positive benefits: 1. God will answer the prayers that are presented to Him, thus we will see needs met and problems solved. 2. God will bless us in personal ways for praying for the saints and their needs. 3. We will naturally gain a certain amount of fellowship as we interact with one another. 4. The church will benefit because many are praying on a regular basis. My wife and I attended a Bible Church in Denver that had about 75 people. They wanted to have an Awana program, but knew that to gain workers they would have to cancel their Wednesday evening prayer service. This they did and the Awana program began. The Awana program prospered and children were saved, but we noticed that there were definite increases in problems in the church. Indeed, attendance began to drop and problems increased. The church after a year decided to go back to having a prayer meeting along with the Awana program. The problems decreased and attendance began to increase. Do you suppose there is a relationship? 5. It will ultimately give each of you a more personal burden for missions and the church as you pray for the people involved and see their struggles and problems.

There are probably other benefits as well. I trust that prayer time will become very meaningful to each one.