Daniel 9:4-6 – First step to a restored relationship with God.

Prayer is an important God-given tool for accomplishing His purpose and plan. It is an essential component for spiritual growth and advancement. Being diligent in this spiritual habit will help us to build a firmer and deeper relationship with God. It allows one to draw near, talk with God, and seek His guidance. One can also seek God’s forgiveness and express gratitude for His blessings through prayer.  Prayer releases divine enablement, leading to one’s spiritual transformation. No one can accomplish God’s assignment without prayer; one needs to make prayer a daily habit. 

And Daniel 9 is an excellent chapter on the lesson of prayer. This chapter shows all the essential elements of a victorious prayer. We shall take some time to digest Daniel’s prayer in this chapter. In Daniel 9:3-6, we see the need to acknowledge God’s greatness and confess our flaws.  

Firstly, we can see that though the prophet was confessing Israel’s failure, he highlighted God’s faithfulness and greatness and made them His primary focus. Daniel referred to their relationship with God and how they, as a nation, had failed Him. Here was where the Faultline lies: their relationship with God.   

Notice how Daniel refers to God as the “Great and awesome God.” And indeed, God was, has always been, and will always be. He then goes on to admit how Israel, as His privileged people, had violated and spurned their position and did not act responsibly.  

He admitted that God could not be blamed for their captivity, for He did not leave them without any help. Their failure was evident. Israel had “sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from God's commandments and ordinances.” The nation’s leadership, from kings to princes and elders, did not heed the voice of the prophets God had sent to them. 

We must recognize that any failure in life begins when we neglect our privileged position and fail to fulfill our responsibilities as God’s people. However, we should not blame God for our failures. He has provided us with guidance, His word, and godly counselors to steer us in the right direction. Let us not overlook these invaluable resources and strive to align ourselves with God's will. 

Whether we hold a leadership position or are just a member, we must never underestimate the significance of maintaining an unbroken connection with God. To restore our relationship with Him, our first step is to acknowledge His faithfulness, identify our flaws, and openly confess our failures.  As the Lord Jesus urges us in Revelation 2:5, “Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first….” This call to self-reflection and repentance should inspire us to strive for a restored relationship with God.