Topic: Daniel’s Dose: Adventure 30- How do we present our requests to God?
Bible Reading: Daniel 9
Memory Verse: Daniel 9:3 (NKJV)
Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen! How are you doing? How has your week been? I apologize for not posting consistently this week! I pray for strength to do better! Are you excited about the weekend? I am! I am looking forward to relaxing and spending some time with family and friends. What of you?
Can you guess what is coming up next week? I dropped a hint; a few weeks ago! Do you think you can get it right? Sammie’s Daily Dose turns 2 this coming week! I am very excited about this! It’s been a beautiful journey so far! There have been highs and lows; by God’s Grace we have pulled through! Thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement! God richly bless you! There are a few exciting surprises; in the course of the week! Watch out!
Today, the Holy Spirit will be teaching us of our approach to presenting our requests to God! Today’s lesson will be inspired by Daniel 9. Are you ready to embark on anther journey through Daniel’s Dose! I am! Let us get right into the message!
Throughout life’s journey, we encounter different situations/ circumstances! Some are good; others are bad! However, through it all, we know that God is with us! He strengthens us and gives us the fuel to keep moving on!
From time to time, we need God to intervene in certain situations! We need God to help us through certain situations! We need God to give us solutions and/or strategies through some situations! So we humbly go before God and present our requests to God! When we present our request to God; what do we do? I know everyone would say that they pray to God about it! Yes! Prayer is one of the key mediums to communicating with God! How did you pray? Did you do anything else? Well, this is what the Holy Spirit wants to talk to us about today!
In Daniel 9:3, the Bible says, “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” In Daniel 9, the Bible recounts Daniels story of praying for the people. The memory verse for the day, (Daniel 9:3) tells us how Daniel presented all his requests to God- by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. There are some very important things to note.
First of all, we request our prayer through prayer and supplication. Prayer is talking to God and presenting your requests to God! This is what everyone does- that’s great! That’s the first step. However, we have to go on to add supplication. Supplication can be described as a form of prayer, whereby we go to God humbly and entreat Him to listen to us! It is said that supplication is done whilst kneeling down. This action is done because it signifies that we respect and honor God! Kneeling down shows our humility and understanding of who God is! The most important part of supplication is humility! When you are presenting your requests to God; you must pray with a humble heart and mind- it is key!
Secondly, Daniel mentioned Fasting. Yes! Fasting is very important! Fasting is denying yourself from earthly/ physical pleasures; to focus entirely on the spiritual. Pleasures such as food, social media, television shows, and many others. During a time of fasting, your spirit is full of the Spirit. You can concentrate on God and hear clearly from Him! Most importantly, fasting strengthens our intimacy with God! Through fasting, you can carefully listen to God’s instructions/ directions; helping you through your specific situation.
Lastly, the Bible says with sackcloth and ashes! Sackcloth and ashes were worn/ put on to signify repentance of sin. Sackcloth and ashes were worn/ put on to represent mourning and grief! Daniel had put on these garments to show that he was grieving his old self. He was presenting a physical evidence (to everyone around him) that he was leaving his sinful life and asking God for forgiveness. Have you repented? Have you asked God to take away all your sins? Have you admitted that you are a sinner? These are very important things we must do; as we present our requests to God.
As you can tell, most of the actions Daniel took, are not applicable to us- 21stCentury Christians. Why? Well, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you. On the third day after his death, he rose up again; conquering satan and possessing the keys of death and life. Thanks to this, we do not need to wear sackcloth and ashes to seek for forgiveness from God. We need to say the prayer of salvation and ask Christ to bear all our sins on the cross (on our behalf).
As you pray to God, presenting your requests to Him; remember to pray with humility. Remember to fast! Remember to seek for forgiveness and ask Christ to be your Lord and personal Savior. By doing all this, you will be well-equipped to receive all you need from God; whilst, building your faith and intimacy in Him. God is here for you! He will help you through everything! He is with you through it all! Just call upon His name and He will help you. Additionally, the Holy Spirit is available to us; to teach us and help us in our time of need! Call upon Him- anytime and any day; He is always around you! Hallelujah!
Prayer Points:
Ask God to reveal Himself to you.
Ask God to prepare your heart.
Ask for healing in your heart and your mind.
Ask that God helps you in your time of need.
Ask for the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Ask for help from the Holy Spirit.
Ask for the desire to learn more about God.
End with a time of praise and worship!
Today’s prayer:
Dear Lord,
I thank you for my life. I thank you for giving me another beautiful day. I ask that you guide me and protect me. I pray that I will choose you in every situation that I face. And that my life will be a testimony and an example to many that I have Christ living in me. Thank you, Lord, for sending your son to die on the cross and wipe my sins away. I lift your name high for you are Alpha and Omega. Amen!
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
The prayer below is for anyone who does not know God or maybe has been apart from God for a while. God is here to pour His favor over your life. All you have to do is call out to Him. Make that decision today!
Dear Lord,
I come to you today as a sinner. I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus is your Son and He came on to this earth to die for my sins. Dear Lord, let your Son come and fill me. Lord, I ask that He cleanses me off my sins. I am ready to stand for you and profess your Name. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
If you repeated this prayer with all the sincerity of your heart, congratulations!! You are now a part of God’s family. Welcome to the greatest family ever. Heaven is jubilating on your arrival. Your fellow brothers and sisters are also excited to have you on board.
Being a child of God is a wonderful thing. The road might not always be easy, but God is with you each and every step of the way. Guiding you, helping you and encouraging up. You will never regret this decision; I can assure you of that. Two things I would recommend for you to do are;
Get yourself a Bible (in a version you understand) and meditate on it day and night. In Joshua 1:8, we are told that when you meditate on the Word day and night, you will be prosperous and successful.
Find a Bible- believing church to attend and fellowship with other Christians. This would help you grow spiritually.
I am excited that you made this decision. Welcome! If you would like some help or more understanding into anything, you can leave a message (adding your email address) and I would be willing and happy to help you out!