In this compelling episode, we journey through the powerful narrative of Daniel’s prayer life and the astonishing speed at which God’s responses manifest. Explore themes of repentance and reconciliation as David Hocking guides us in understanding the profound relationship between acknowledging our shortcomings and receiving divine compassion. Enrich your spiritual journey with insights into how God’s mercy triumphs over our need for justice, teaching us to seek His presence wholeheartedly.
God dwells in the third heaven. Where’s the third heaven? Well, it’s beyond the second heaven. Well, what’s the second heaven? It’s all the celestial heavens, all the planets and stars. It’s outer space. Wait a minute. Why, in our own Milky Way, which is one part of it, we’ve got millions of stars, right? Why, the closest star in our Milky Way is four light years away. That’s light traveling 186,000 miles a second. And the angel is at the throne of God, gets a command from God. And in one day, he’s on planet Earth. Say, hi, God’s heard you. He’s answering prayer. How fast does God answer prayer? Quick, folks, real quick. Even when he sends his angels, his messenger, they travel faster than the speed of sound. They travel faster than the speed of light. Didn’t take him four light years to get here, which is the nearest star in our galaxy. He got here in the same day. They can travel at the speed of thought.
SPEAKER 01 :
It’s a blessing to have you with us as we begin a new week of Bible study on Hope for Today with Bible teacher and author David Hawking. And on today’s program we continue our powerful message from Daniel chapter 9 called God Answers Prayer. You ever been there where you’re flat on your face? No filter, no pretense. It’s just you and God and a burden you can’t shake. Well, that’s where we find Daniel. He’s worn out, broken, and crying out for mercy. And not just for himself, but for his people. And right in the middle of that raw, honest prayer, God makes his presence powerfully known. Well, stay right here. Day two of God Answers Prayer. Our study from Daniel 9 continues in just a moment. First, I want to quickly tell you about a resource that’s designed to encourage you, refresh you, and draw you closer to the heart of God in good times and in those tough times. This is called Meditations in the Psalms, and it’s our free online devotional series by David Hawking, where you can walk through the Psalms one passage at a time. Each entry is rich with biblical insight, easy to understand, and full of inspiration for your daily life. You know, if you’ve ever found yourself in need of comfort, wisdom, and a reminder that God is still in control, this is for you. Whether you’re new to the Bible or a longtime student, Meditations in the Psalms will help you slow down a bit, dig deep, and really hear God speak through his word. You can start reading today if you like. Visit davidhawking.org. Again, Meditations in the Psalms, our free online devotional at davidhawking.org. Let’s join David now for today’s study from Daniel 9.
SPEAKER 04 :
The second thing I draw to your attention after looking at the immediate reason behind the prayer is the recognition of sin and a willingness to acknowledge it before God. This is the missing ingredient in contemporary praying. We don’t want to deal with this. The recognition of sin and the willingness to acknowledge it before God. That’s verses 4 to 15. Rather lengthy section. Let me break it down by giving you six things that he recognized. What did he recognize when he recognized his sin and was willing to acknowledge it? He recognized God’s relationship to his people, and he recognized their rebellion against God. Number three, in verse 7 and 8, he recognized the results of sin. Have we? Isn’t it interesting, the result of sin that is mentioned here? Man, we could name a lot of them, couldn’t we? Broken homes. And you talk about the effect of sin upon people’s lives? Yes. No matter what it is, we could talk about a lot of results of sin, just a messed up life, wasted, bad health, bad emotions, spiritually rotten. We could talk about a lot of things. But what the text talks about is what is called shame of face. Look at it, please, in verse 7. “‘O Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us shame of face.'” In verse 8, “‘O Lord, to us belongs shame of face.'” We’re talking about the attitude of the believer towards God who’s embarrassed to even come to God because he knows the crud that’s in his life. Do we feel that way? Shame of faith. God, we’re embarrassed in front of you because of what we have been doing. How we’ve ignored you and neglected your word. We haven’t been paying attention to your prophets and we’re into all kinds of corruption, idolatry and immorality and sin and we’ve got shame of faith, Lord. This man is humbling himself before God. In the fourth place in verse 9 to 11, he recognized the resistance to God himself. A lot of our struggle and fight is against God, even when we’re against him. Blame it on the devil. Be careful about that. Sometimes it’s our own rebellion against God because we don’t want to go God’s way. We want to face the reality of what we are before God. So we have to have a scapegoat somewhere. The devil can tempt us. He can bait us. He’s got all kinds of strategies. But folks, we can be strong in the Lord and the power of His might and resist Him. The truth is we have rebellion in our hearts toward God. And it’s hard to face that, especially if you’re a Christian. It’s kind of interesting. Look at verse 9. He said, we have rebelled against him. Against who? The Lord God who has mercy and forgiveness. Here’s somebody who wants to forgive you, wants to help you, wants to straighten your life out, get you back on the right track, and you’re rebelling against the one who loves you. Look at verse 10. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God. Another description of rebellion. Verse 11. We have sinned against him. The last phrase. Turn back to Psalm 51, please. King David could have messed up his life terribly if he had not gone through the process of Psalm 51. King David’s a lesson to all of us. He’s just like we are. He was into a lot of junk. Adultery. He even set up the murder of that woman’s husband. The thing he did displeased the Lord. And if it hadn’t been for Psalm 51, David’s life would have been different. All the way through the Old Testament, to every king who ever did right, he said he walked in the ways of David, his father, who did right all the days of his life. Well, the turning point was Psalm 51. He got right with God. And I want you to see this in verse 1, 51, verse 1. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Now watch this. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me against you. You only have I sinned and done this evil in your sight. And when Daniel began to pray and open up his heart to God, he recognized many things about sin and his willingness to acknowledge it. He recognized God’s relationship to his people. He recognized the rebellion against God. He recognized the results of sin before God. And he recognized their resistance to God himself. In the fifth case, in terms of what he recognized, look at verse 12 to 14 of Daniel 9. Turn back there, please. He recognized the righteousness of God in bringing judgment for their sin. You know, when somebody is really repentant, they know they deserve judgment. They accept it and they know God is righteous if he gives it. That’s why our resistance against him is so terrible. But he recognized the righteousness of God when he said very clearly in Daniel chapter 9 and verse 12, he said he has confirmed his words which he spoke against us and against our judges who judge us by bringing upon us a great disaster. Verse 13, as it’s written in the law of Moses, all this came on us. Verse 14, therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind and brought it upon us. Why? For the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which he does, though we have not obeyed his voice. He recognized the righteousness of God in bringing judgment upon them for their sin. I’ll tell you folks, it’s a major step to victory in our lives when we recognize that. And one last thing about what he recognized, verse 15. He recognized the redemption of God as their only hope. And friends, that is our only hope, the redemption of God. And he referred to it in verse 15. Oh, Lord, our God, you brought your people out of the land of Egypt. That’s redemption. We have sinned. We have done wickedly. But he reminded the Lord of what he had done before to the children of Israel. They didn’t deserve to be redeemed. But God, you did it. You brought them out. God, unless you redeem us, there’s no hope for us. Because we have sinned and we have done wickedly. Friends, when you come to God in prayer, you appeal to his mercy, not your performance. You don’t come to God and say, God, I promise you from now on I’m always going to do what’s right. Hey, you’re wasting your breath. God knows you better than you know yourself. When we come to God, we don’t make appeals to him on the basis of our promises of performance. We come and plead the mercy of God. When you search and seek for the Lord with all your heart, God will answer prayer. And the Bible promises it. Let’s take a look at the request for mercy and forgiveness in verses 16 to 19. The request for mercy and forgiveness. We’ve looked at the immediate reason behind the prayer, verses 1 to 3. The recognition of sin, a willingness to acknowledge it before God, verses 4 to 15. And the request for mercy and forgiveness, verses 16 to 19. It’s based on four things. When you pray, understand this. We’re going after mercy. We don’t want justice. But if God gives us justice, he is fully righteous and I’ll never criticize him for it. But I don’t want justice. I want mercy from God. I want forgiveness. And that’s based on four things. Number one, it’s based on God’s character as always. Verse 16, O Lord, according to all your righteousness… Let your anger, your fury be turned away from your city of Jerusalem, your holy mountain, because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a reproach to all who are around us. God, because of who you are, your righteousness, Lord, turn away. Let your anger and fury be turned away. God, if you bring it, we deserve it. But God, I know you. I know your character. And I know you can forgive us when no one else will. You appeal to God’s character, not yourself. Secondly, it’s based not only on God’s character, but on God’s concern for his own work. In verse 17, Therefore, our God, hear the prayer of your servant and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake, cause your face to shine on your sanctuary, which is desolate. The temple was destroyed. It still is destroyed. God, I appeal to you. This is your work. You’re concerned for your temple. God, do something. Is it God’s concerns that are on our hearts when we come to prayer? We would see far more answers if we really sought the Lord that way. God, what is your concern? That’s what I want to see happen. What you want, that’s what I want. That’s real prayer. This request for mercy and forgiveness is not only based on God’s character and God’s concern, but it’s based on God’s compassion. Look at verse 18. Oh my God. Incline your ear in here. Open your eyes and see our desolations in the city which is called by your name. For we do not present our supplications before you because of our righteous deeds, but because of your great mercies. Lamentations 3.22 says, It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. Great is your faithfulness. Your mercies are new every morning. When you come to God, it’s based on God’s compassion. Lord, not because of what we have done, but God, because of your mercy and compassion, I ask you to forgive us. The request for mercy and forgiveness is rooted in God’s character, in God’s concerns, in God’s compassion, and it’s also based on God’s calling. Look at verse 19. O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act. Do not delay for your own sake, my God, for your city and your people are called by your name. You know, God has called us to himself, folks, and he’s taken a lot of stinkers into the camp. Amen? There’s a lot of people that you and I, from a human perspective, say, why them, Lord? But God takes people from every walk of life with every background imaginable, and he brings them to himself. Some he saves as children, and some he waits till they’re adults, and some as old people. And God has a plan, and he knows why he’s doing it. And we’re called by his name. We are children of God. What manner of love the Father has bestowed on us to be even called that. And when you come to prayer, you can appeal to God based on God’s calling. Very legitimate reason. for pouring out our hearts to God. The request for mercy and forgiveness from God, based on God’s character, His concerns, God’s compassion, and God’s calling. Now in verse 20 to 23, as we wrap this section up, we have the revelation of a coming answer. We’ve seen the immediate reason behind the prayer and the recognition of sin and the willingness to acknowledge it before God. We’ve seen the request for mercy and forgiveness. And now we have the revelation of a coming answer. One of the interesting things about this is the man who brought it, verse 21. His name is Gabriel. And the Bible says that he came during the evening offering. See the last part of verse 21? Well, wait a minute, there’s no temple offering. There’s no mention of sacrifices. What offering are we talking about? It was the only one the children of Israel could do in captivity, and it’s very interesting. It refers to the meal offering and to the drink offering. Now, if you study that, there was no leaven or yeast in the meal offering. It was flat, like matzo bread. It was an offering of consecration and dedication to God, and because there was no yeast in it, the leaven was a type of sin. And because that was not in it, it was the sign of someone who decided to separate from evil and evil practices. Isn’t it interesting? As he had been praying and pouring out his heart before God, he comes to the evening offering and he’s going to dedicate that which represents a man who has just confessed his sin and gotten right with the Lord. And bang, God says to Gabriel, get down there. Let that man know I’m going to answer his prayer. Verse 20 said, while I was speaking, praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people and presenting myself, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel was caused to fly swiftly. You want to know how fast he went? You ever thought about it? First of all, verse 23 tells us the timing. At the beginning of your supplications, the command went out. So he didn’t leave the throne of God until he started praying. He prayed in one day. Folks, that is really traveling. Now Gabriel leaves the throne of God at the beginning of the prayer. That’s what the Bible says. And winds up touching Daniel and talking to Daniel. That’s incredible. Why? Well, God dwells in the third heaven. Where’s the third heaven? Well, it’s beyond the second heaven. Well, what’s the second heaven? It’s all the celestial heavens, all the planets and stars. It’s outer space. Wait a minute. Why, in our own Milky Way, which is one part of it, we’ve got millions of stars, right? Why, the closest star in our Milky Way is four light years away. That’s light traveling 186,000 miles a second. Is everybody still with me? And wherever that heaven is that God is, it’s in the third heaven. It’s out beyond stellar space. I don’t know where it is, but it’s a long ways away. And the angel is at the throne of God, gets the command from God, and in one day, he’s on planet Earth. Say, hi. Hi. God’s heard you. He’s answering prayer. How fast does God answer prayer? Quick, folks, real quick. Even when He sends His angels, His messengers, they travel faster than the speed of sound. They travel faster than the speed of light. It didn’t take Him four light years to get here, which is the nearest star in our galaxy. He got here in the same day. They can travel at the speed of thought. You know how God answers prayer? Now. And his sovereign plan, my God can change somebody’s heart right now. I love to pray when you’re praying with another Christian about somebody that’s far away from God or an unbeliever you want to get saved. And I love to think of it at this time. He doesn’t need us. God right now could bring this person who lives 3,000 miles away into contact with somebody who will draw them to Jesus Christ right now, even while we’re speaking. He can cause somebody to come to know the Lord. That we’ve been praying for for years. Do you believe that? That God answers prayer. And God can do it now. The message he brought to him in verse 22 was simple. To give you skill to understand. Daniel wasn’t understanding. And this great prophecy of the 70 weeks is going to be detailed out for him. He’s going to now see it. When Solomon asked for wisdom, he said, because you asked for that and not for riches, I’ll even give you the rest of it. It pleased the Lord, 1 Kings 3 says, because he wanted to be wise to do what God wanted him to do. Does anyone lack wisdom? All of us do. If any of you do is in a class condition in Greek, it means we all do. Since we all do, ask of God, and God will give it to you. But remember, a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. You’ve got a hidden agenda. There’s something wrong in your life. There’s a bunch of sin and corruption. Hey, don’t expect God to answer. I love this final point. The motive behind it in verse 23. Is this good or is this good? At the beginning of your supplications, the command went out, and I’ve come to tell you, for you are a miserable mess. Is that what he said? He said, underline it if you need to. Quote it back to yourself. You are greatly beloved. Can you imagine a man… In his upper years, who has lived with the terrible Babylonian captivity. His people have been devastated. His cities and towns have been destroyed. Thousands were murdered and killed. And there’s been torture and persecution. And this dear man has lived through it all. And he’s watched now how God has fulfilled his word and judged Babylon. We’ve got a new empire now. And he’s very old and up in years, and he sees the one thing we forgot to do, we’ve got to do is pray. And why is God going to answer your prayer? You can see many reasons. Well, because I’ve been here for six hours. No. No. Uh-uh. Well, because I’ve served you all my life. No. Uh-uh. Why are you going to answer prayer? Because I love you. If I were God and I wanted you to pray, I’d do what God did in this passage. I’d come right up to you, say, would you please talk to me? Because I love you. God loves you and you and you and you. And God loves me. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, amen. And that’s Bible teacher David Honking, and this is Hope for Today. David will be back in just a moment or so to close us out with a bit of additional teaching, so do stay tuned for that. First of all, Matt’s here, and we’re going to share some great Bible study resources with you. Matt?
SPEAKER 02 :
The book of Daniel is quoted often in the New Testament book of Revelation. In many ways, studying both books gives us an exhilarating understanding of God’s prophetic plan for the ages. Daniel is an exceptionally revealing book of Bible prophecy. And his story helps us understand today’s world and live with joy and courage, doesn’t it, man? Yeah, his visions speak powerfully and his writing continues to exalt the Most High God.
SPEAKER 01 :
And it’s interesting, Matt, that the accuracy and reliability of his remarks concerning future events have caused many to question his authorship of the book.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, but we have a complete confidence that he not only wrote the book, but that God used him powerfully to bring his message to his people about what is about to happen in our time.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, David’s book study, Daniel, Prophecies of the Last Days, an exciting study of Daniel’s 12 chapters. bringing to life prophecy fulfillment, tying in historical accounts, and relating marvelous applications for all of us today.
SPEAKER 02 :
You can get Daniel Prophecies of the Last Days by my dad, David Hocking, for just $20 at davidhocking.org. That’s davidhocking.org. Or you can call us in Canada at 1-888-75BIBLE. In the U.S., call us at 1-800-75BIBLE. And Bible by the Numbers is 24253.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, Matt, we also want to tell folks about David’s complete audio series in the book of Daniel. This is a powerful chapter-by-chapter study through one of the most prophetic books in the Bible, and it’s our current radio series. You’ll learn about world empires, end-time prophecies, the Antichrist, and God’s unstoppable plan, all taught with David’s straightforward Bible-first approach. The series, again, is what we’re currently hearing on radio, and this resource is a complete set of all of the messages on MP3 for just $30 or on audio CD for $50. Add the full sermon notes and outlines for only $10 more. The sermon notes are David’s study notes for each of the messages as he delivered them. To order, call 800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada, or visit davidhawking.org. And we’ve talked about prayer today, and perhaps you need prayer right now. If you do, get in touch with us. You can also share a testimony, or you can support this ministry. We do need help right now. We need additional monthly supporters to catch up and keep the bills paid. You can write to us at Hope for Today, Box 3927. Tustin, California, 92781. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, BC, V2S 8P1. And I’ll share our phone number and web address again in just a bit. Right now, let’s get back to David.
SPEAKER 03 :
we’re studying the book of Daniel. And I know a lot of you are waiting for that last prophecy in chapter 9 on the 70 weeks. Well, it’s coming, but we’re still finishing up Daniel 9, 1 to 23. There’s a request here in verses 16 to 19 for mercy and forgiveness. I love that. there’s a revelation also of a coming answer, verses 20 to 23. How wonderful to read this in verse 23, for you, Daniel, are greatly beloved. Well, this ministry is about the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible. If you want to know how to go to heaven or be born again, or to really get saved, you need to go to the Bible. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Have you put your trust in the only one who can save you from sin, death, and hell? He’s the one, not a church, not an organization, not a bunch of works that you might do to please God. No, it’s the work of God that we believe on His Son. He has paid for our sin with His own precious blood. That’s what the crucifixion was all about. And the grave couldn’t hold him. The third day he rose again. He’s alive. He ascended into heaven, and he’s coming back for those who have put their trust in him. Why not open your heart to him right now? Just say, Lord, I confess my sin to you, and I believe that our Lord Jesus, he died for my sin and paid for it completely. I can’t pay for it. He can. And He will forgive me if I open my heart to Him. So I do that right now. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. God bless you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you, David. And friend, if you’ve just given your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, welcome to the family of God. We’d like to send you a free booklet by David called What is Christianity? And a free Bible study by mail that will help you start strong in your walk with God. Call 800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada to request yours, or visit us online at davidhawking.org and use the contact form. These resources are free to new believers or those who would like to find out more about what it means to be a Christian. Well, next time on Hope for Today, it’s a special prophecy edition of our monthly question and answer program. So invite a friend to listen along with you right here on Hope for Today.
