We pray because we know that God hears our voice, and because we also know that He will respond to our prayers (Ps. 116:1, 2). Our prayers are, therefore, essentially a response to God, who took the initiative to bring us back to Himself. How significant, then, that worship in the book of Psalms, which contains the prayers of ancient Israel, is described as a response to God the Creator, who is the Giver of life (Ps. 95:1–6, Ps. 100:1–3). It is through prayer that our spiritual life survives. As Ellen G. White puts it: “Prayer is the breath of the soul.”—Prayer, p. 12.
To understand better the meaning and function of prayer, we have chosen two instances of prayer from the book of Daniel, a book in which prayer plays an important role. The two instances of prayer, which are particularly representative of Daniel’s personality, are found in chapters 2 and 6.
In chapter 2, Daniel and his three friends entreat the Lord to reveal the meaning of the king’s prophetic dream that concerns the future destiny of the world (Dan. 2:20–23). Daniel’s subsequent prayer of thanksgiving to God for His gracious answer is given in poetry.
In chapter 6, Daniel, who serves as the highest governor in the kingdom of Persia, supplicates and thanks God, even though doing so imperils his own life (Dan. 6:10, 11). This particular prayer is not recorded in the book of Daniel, but the chapter situates this prayer within the context of Daniel’s struggles in the royal court.
Part II: Commentary
The Apocalyptic Prayer (Dan. 2:20–23). This humble invocation of praise is the first prayer of the book. The prayer is provoked by an external event. The Babylonian king had dreams that gave him insomnia. Worse, he can’t recall the substance of the dreams. No one among his magicians is capable of responding to the king’s request to reveal his dream and, therefore, to interpret it. Nebuchadnezzar realizes, at this moment, that the Chaldeans are a pack of deceptive charlatans. The king is furious and decides, then, to kill all the wise men in Babylon (Dan. 2:14), including Daniel and his three friends, who respond with prayer to the threat. Though their words of supplication are not recorded, the biblical text tells us that Daniel enlists the help of his three friends to “seek mercies from the God of heaven” (Dan. 2:18, NKJV). In answer to their prayer, God reveals the dream and its interpretation to Daniel in a night vision (Dan. 2:19). Afterward, Daniel blesses the God of heaven in a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving. These prayers of supplication and gratitude share a number of characteristic features, including:
A. Uniqueness. The prayer of Daniel and his friends is a specific prayer, a unique prayer, in response to an unexpected event that threatens them with certain death. This first instance of prayer in the book of Daniel concerns a “secret” that no one can reveal, a secret whose revelation will save the lives of Daniel and his friends (Dan. 2:18). Thus, Daniel and his friends do not pray simply because it is their habit to do so or because prayer is a natural part of their culture. And because their prayer is unique to their specific situation and experience, it is a genuine, heartfelt prayer.
B. An Encounter. The prayer of Daniel and his friends is not a mystical experience, a mere moment of spiritual meditation in the hopes of producing relaxation and peace. Daniel desires to meet with Someone he cannot control or foresee, Someone outside of himself, “the God of heaven” (Dan. 2:18). This God is the true God precisely because He hides Himself. As Isaiah acknowledges: “Truly You are God, who hide Yourself” (Isa. 45:15, NKJV). Because God hides His face (unlike the idols), Daniel doesn’t presume his petition will be automatically answered. Thus, Daniel and his friends approach God humbly, seeking mercies from Him. Their request is a supplication, just as the prayer of the tenacious widow in Jesus’ parable is also a supplication (Luke 18:1–8). Her persistence, as well as that of Daniel and his friends, recalls Jacob’s prayer in which he wrestled with God: “ ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me’ ” (Gen. 32:26, NKJV).
C. An Up-Down Movement. Although human prayer moves the soul upward to God, the process of God’s response implies God’s move downward toward us. Herein lies the main difference between the prayer of Daniel and his friends and the prayer of the Chaldeans, whose religion comprises the practice of magic. For the Chaldeans, the whole process of fulfilling the king’s command takes place below, in the realm of their existence on this earth. Thus, the process of fulfilling the king’s command centered on their technical skills and magic formulas. For them, access to the divine realm was impossible because the gods “do not live among humans” (Dan. 2:11, NIV).
For Daniel, on the other hand, the God of heaven comes down and reveals the “secrets” of the dream (Dan. 2:28). If God responds to our prayers, it is not because of our merits or because of the quality of our prayer. God’s response depends not on us but on Him and His merits. This idea of total dependence on the merits of God is the meaning of the Levitical sacrifice, which points to the sacrifice of Christ. For this reason, Jesus, the fulfillment of the Levitical sacrifice, recommended that we pray to the Father in His name (John 16:23).
D. Gratitude. Because God responded to Daniel’s supplication, thanking Him is an important part of Daniel’s prayer (Dan. 2:20–23). Daniel blesses God because He has given him “wisdom and power,” which belong to Him (Dan. 2:20, NIV). Thus, Daniel acknowledges his dependence on God. More important, Daniel recognizes the merciful grace of God. What we receive from God is something that God gives us for free, a grace that has nothing to do with our own wisdom (Dan. 2:30).
E. Prophecy. Even though God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer saves his life and the lives of the other wise men, what is important is the future salvation of the world and the salvation of the king. Daniel blesses God for more than the preservation of his own life. More important, Daniel gives thanks for God’s presence in history and His control over world events. Daniel also thanks God for His power to change times, remove kings, and set up his eternal kingdom (Dan. 2:44). Likewise, Christ’s prayer in the Sermon on the Mount is focused on the same hope: “ ‘Your kingdom come’ ” (Matt. 6:10, NKJV).
The Wisdom Prayer (Dan. 6:10, 11). In Daniel 6, Daniel’s prayer does not depend on the impact of events but takes place in spite of them. Although he knew about the signing of the decree, which forbade anyone to petition any god or human except the king, Daniel continued to pray (Dan. 6:10). Such prayer belongs to the daily course of life. This prayer displays a number of distinctive characteristics, including:
A. Privacy. Daniel went to his upper room to pray. As Jesus counseled: “ ‘When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father’ ” (Matt. 6:6, NKJV). Daniel’s prayer is both private and personal, a prayer “in the secret place” (Matt. 6:6, NKJV) that no one except God Himself hears. If we pray with “being heard” in mind, thinking of what others may think of our words and our reputation, prayer becomes a public-relations exercise or a parade of words and pride. Worse, it becomes an opportunity for boasting instead of a place to meet with the Lord. A boastful prayer may be appreciated by others, but it never reaches God.
B. A Refuge. Daniel prays in a room that he set aside for this particular spiritual moment. The upper room was located on the roof, far from busy and noisy activity. Prayer is thus associated with a place that is separated from the ordinary concerns of life, a place where the worries and distractions of existence are left at the threshold. Such a place is a refuge where our attention cannot be diverted, a quiet place that is far from the chaos of the world.
C. Regularity. Daniel maintained the habit of praying three times daily, thus marking the rhythm of the day: in the morning when he woke up and prepared for the work of the day; in the middle of the day, in the midst of his work; and at the end of the day, after the completion of his work and before he prepared to sleep. Thus, Daniel maintained his prayer life through discipline and habit. This example teaches us the value of integrating prayer into the rhythm of life itself. Prayer should not depend on our mood or our emotions. Prayer must be part of our daily regimen, like our meals, work, or other regular routines and appointments.
D. Humility. Although the Bible records various physical positions of prayer (standing with outstretched hands, head bowed, etc.), the most favored one is kneeling down, which expresses humility. Bowing before the Lord is an acknowledgment of our finiteness and unworthiness, as well as our reverence and our commitment to serving God.
E. Hope. Daniel’s routine of prayer three times daily coincided with the schedule of sacrifices in the temple of Jerusalem (1 Chron 23:30, 31). In Babylon, Daniel faced west; that is, in the direction of the Jerusalem temple. During his inaugural prayer for the Jerusalem temple, Solomon alluded to the crucial need for prayer during the exilic time, when the Israelites would not have access to the temple of Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:47–49). The association of the exilic prayer with the temple of Jerusalem was also a gesture of hope that expressed the exile’s longing to return to the Jerusalem on this earth, as well as to inhabit the New Jerusalem of heaven.
Part III: Life Application
Teacher’s Tip: Share with your class members the following personal activities to help them enrich their prayer life. Encourage members to incorporate these attitudes and habits in their prayer life in the coming week. Ask them to come ready to share next Sabbath how these activities grew their faith and drew them closer to Jesus.
Activity 1: A unique prayer: Habitual prayer, such as saying grace at mealtimes, runs the risk of becoming mechanical, so much so that we sometimes forget that we prayed!
Challenge yourself to utter a unique prayer at mealtime in seeking God’s blessing.
Alternately, read a prayer from the Psalms in place of your usual mealtime prayer.
Activity 2: A prayer of gratitude:
When you thank God, avoid generalizations in your prayer. Refer specifically to the reason for your gratitude.
Every morning when you wake up, thank God because you are alive, because God resurrected you from spiritual death.
Every evening before going to bed, thank Him for the good things you received and experienced.
Activity 3: A prayer of hope:
Reflect on the early Christians’ greeting Mara’ na’ tha: “O Lord, come!” (1 Cor. 16:22, NKJV).
When you pray, make it a habit to think of Jesus’ second coming. Ask the Lord to come.
Activity 4: A secret and special place:
Designate a special room or place in your home where you can pray.
Arrange this special place to inspire quietness and meditation.
Activity 5: A time of humility (read Lam. 3:29):
Make it a habit to kneel down when you pray.
Think of your spiritual lifelessness apart from God. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and give you new life.
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Key Text: Psalm 116:1, 2
Study Focus: Dan. 2:20–23; Dan. 6:10, 11.
We pray because we know that God hears our voice, and because we also know that He will respond to our prayers (Ps. 116:1, 2). Our prayers are, therefore, essentially a response to God, who took the initiative to bring us back to Himself. How significant, then, that worship in the book of Psalms, which contains the prayers of ancient Israel, is described as a response to God the Creator, who is the Giver of life (Ps. 95:1–6, Ps. 100:1–3). It is through prayer that our spiritual life survives. As Ellen G. White puts it: “Prayer is the breath of the soul.”—Prayer, p. 12.
To understand better the meaning and function of prayer, we have chosen two instances of prayer from the book of Daniel, a book in which prayer plays an important role. The two instances of prayer, which are particularly representative of Daniel’s personality, are found in chapters 2 and 6.
In chapter 2, Daniel and his three friends entreat the Lord to reveal the meaning of the king’s prophetic dream that concerns the future destiny of the world (Dan. 2:20–23). Daniel’s subsequent prayer of thanksgiving to God for His gracious answer is given in poetry.
In chapter 6, Daniel, who serves as the highest governor in the kingdom of Persia, supplicates and thanks God, even though doing so imperils his own life (Dan. 6:10, 11). This particular prayer is not recorded in the book of Daniel, but the chapter situates this prayer within the context of Daniel’s struggles in the royal court.
Part II: Commentary
The Apocalyptic Prayer (Dan. 2:20–23). This humble invocation of praise is the first prayer of the book. The prayer is provoked by an external event. The Babylonian king had dreams that gave him insomnia. Worse, he can’t recall the substance of the dreams. No one among his magicians is capable of responding to the king’s request to reveal his dream and, therefore, to interpret it. Nebuchadnezzar realizes, at this moment, that the Chaldeans are a pack of deceptive charlatans. The king is furious and decides, then, to kill all the wise men in Babylon (Dan. 2:14), including Daniel and his three friends, who respond with prayer to the threat. Though their words of supplication are not recorded, the biblical text tells us that Daniel enlists the help of his three friends to “seek mercies from the God of heaven” (Dan. 2:18, NKJV). In answer to their prayer, God reveals the dream and its interpretation to Daniel in a night vision (Dan. 2:19). Afterward, Daniel blesses the God of heaven in a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving. These prayers of supplication and gratitude share a number of characteristic features, including:
A. Uniqueness. The prayer of Daniel and his friends is a specific prayer, a unique prayer, in response to an unexpected event that threatens them with certain death. This first instance of prayer in the book of Daniel concerns a “secret” that no one can reveal, a secret whose revelation will save the lives of Daniel and his friends (Dan. 2:18). Thus, Daniel and his friends do not pray simply because it is their habit to do so or because prayer is a natural part of their culture. And because their prayer is unique to their specific situation and experience, it is a genuine, heartfelt prayer.
B. An Encounter. The prayer of Daniel and his friends is not a mystical experience, a mere moment of spiritual meditation in the hopes of producing relaxation and peace. Daniel desires to meet with Someone he cannot control or foresee, Someone outside of himself, “the God of heaven” (Dan. 2:18). This God is the true God precisely because He hides Himself. As Isaiah acknowledges: “Truly You are God, who hide Yourself” (Isa. 45:15, NKJV). Because God hides His face (unlike the idols), Daniel doesn’t presume his petition will be automatically answered. Thus, Daniel and his friends approach God humbly, seeking mercies from Him. Their request is a supplication, just as the prayer of the tenacious widow in Jesus’ parable is also a supplication (Luke 18:1–8). Her persistence, as well as that of Daniel and his friends, recalls Jacob’s prayer in which he wrestled with God: “ ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me’ ” (Gen. 32:26, NKJV).
C. An Up-Down Movement. Although human prayer moves the soul upward to God, the process of God’s response implies God’s move downward toward us. Herein lies the main difference between the prayer of Daniel and his friends and the prayer of the Chaldeans, whose religion comprises the practice of magic. For the Chaldeans, the whole process of fulfilling the king’s command takes place below, in the realm of their existence on this earth. Thus, the process of fulfilling the king’s command centered on their technical skills and magic formulas. For them, access to the divine realm was impossible because the gods “do not live among humans” (Dan. 2:11, NIV).
For Daniel, on the other hand, the God of heaven comes down and reveals the “secrets” of the dream (Dan. 2:28). If God responds to our prayers, it is not because of our merits or because of the quality of our prayer. God’s response depends not on us but on Him and His merits. This idea of total dependence on the merits of God is the meaning of the Levitical sacrifice, which points to the sacrifice of Christ. For this reason, Jesus, the fulfillment of the Levitical sacrifice, recommended that we pray to the Father in His name (John 16:23).
D. Gratitude. Because God responded to Daniel’s supplication, thanking Him is an important part of Daniel’s prayer (Dan. 2:20–23). Daniel blesses God because He has given him “wisdom and power,” which belong to Him (Dan. 2:20, NIV). Thus, Daniel acknowledges his dependence on God. More important, Daniel recognizes the merciful grace of God. What we receive from God is something that God gives us for free, a grace that has nothing to do with our own wisdom (Dan. 2:30).
E. Prophecy. Even though God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer saves his life and the lives of the other wise men, what is important is the future salvation of the world and the salvation of the king. Daniel blesses God for more than the preservation of his own life. More important, Daniel gives thanks for God’s presence in history and His control over world events. Daniel also thanks God for His power to change times, remove kings, and set up his eternal kingdom (Dan. 2:44). Likewise, Christ’s prayer in the Sermon on the Mount is focused on the same hope: “ ‘Your kingdom come’ ” (Matt. 6:10, NKJV).
The Wisdom Prayer (Dan. 6:10, 11). In Daniel 6, Daniel’s prayer does not depend on the impact of events but takes place in spite of them. Although he knew about the signing of the decree, which forbade anyone to petition any god or human except the king, Daniel continued to pray (Dan. 6:10). Such prayer belongs to the daily course of life. This prayer displays a number of distinctive characteristics, including:
A. Privacy. Daniel went to his upper room to pray. As Jesus counseled: “ ‘When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father’ ” (Matt. 6:6, NKJV). Daniel’s prayer is both private and personal, a prayer “in the secret place” (Matt. 6:6, NKJV) that no one except God Himself hears. If we pray with “being heard” in mind, thinking of what others may think of our words and our reputation, prayer becomes a public-relations exercise or a parade of words and pride. Worse, it becomes an opportunity for boasting instead of a place to meet with the Lord. A boastful prayer may be appreciated by others, but it never reaches God.
B. A Refuge. Daniel prays in a room that he set aside for this particular spiritual moment. The upper room was located on the roof, far from busy and noisy activity. Prayer is thus associated with a place that is separated from the ordinary concerns of life, a place where the worries and distractions of existence are left at the threshold. Such a place is a refuge where our attention cannot be diverted, a quiet place that is far from the chaos of the world.
C. Regularity. Daniel maintained the habit of praying three times daily, thus marking the rhythm of the day: in the morning when he woke up and prepared for the work of the day; in the middle of the day, in the midst of his work; and at the end of the day, after the completion of his work and before he prepared to sleep. Thus, Daniel maintained his prayer life through discipline and habit. This example teaches us the value of integrating prayer into the rhythm of life itself. Prayer should not depend on our mood or our emotions. Prayer must be part of our daily regimen, like our meals, work, or other regular routines and appointments.
D. Humility. Although the Bible records various physical positions of prayer (standing with outstretched hands, head bowed, etc.), the most favored one is kneeling down, which expresses humility. Bowing before the Lord is an acknowledgment of our finiteness and unworthiness, as well as our reverence and our commitment to serving God.
E. Hope. Daniel’s routine of prayer three times daily coincided with the schedule of sacrifices in the temple of Jerusalem (1 Chron 23:30, 31). In Babylon, Daniel faced west; that is, in the direction of the Jerusalem temple. During his inaugural prayer for the Jerusalem temple, Solomon alluded to the crucial need for prayer during the exilic time, when the Israelites would not have access to the temple of Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:47–49). The association of the exilic prayer with the temple of Jerusalem was also a gesture of hope that expressed the exile’s longing to return to the Jerusalem on this earth, as well as to inhabit the New Jerusalem of heaven.
Part III: Life Application
Teacher’s Tip: Share with your class members the following personal activities to help them enrich their prayer life. Encourage members to incorporate these attitudes and habits in their prayer life in the coming week. Ask them to come ready to share next Sabbath how these activities grew their faith and drew them closer to Jesus.
Activity 1: A unique prayer: Habitual prayer, such as saying grace at mealtimes, runs the risk of becoming mechanical, so much so that we sometimes forget that we prayed!
Activity 2: A prayer of gratitude:
Activity 3: A prayer of hope:
Activity 4: A secret and special place:
Activity 5: A time of humility (read Lam. 3:29):