Merciful God, Hear Us
What a beautiful passage. Daniel, in crying out to the God of the Heavens, acknowledges that we are dependent on God's mercy to hear our prayers ... not our righteous deeds.
How many times has a convicted heart, a guilty conscience, or a condemning thought kept us away from God's Presence, hindered our confidence in prayer, or shut down our willingness to speak with God?
For me, I've found that I'm much more prone to approach God when I feel like I've been "worthy" .. when I feel like I've had it "together" that week, for the most part. But we are told that our "righteous acts" are as "filthy rags" to God. (Isa 64:6) It's only through the blood of Jesus - His sacrifice FOR US - that enables us to approach the throne of grace ... and with boldness and confidence, as we are told in Hebrews 4:16.
The beauty of this passage is Daniel's quick recognition of this fact, the respectful attitude and humble heart in which he makes his requests known to God.
God is willing and able to listen to our prayers. He doesn't choose to listen based on our righteousness. Even though Isaiah 59:2 says refers to our sins causing God to hide his face ... As a New Testament Believer, we can confess our sins and have confidence that Jesus, our great High Priest, made a way for us.
How many times has a convicted heart, a guilty conscience, or a condemning thought kept us away from God's Presence, hindered our confidence in prayer, or shut down our willingness to speak with God?
For me, I've found that I'm much more prone to approach God when I feel like I've been "worthy" .. when I feel like I've had it "together" that week, for the most part. But we are told that our "righteous acts" are as "filthy rags" to God. (Isa 64:6) It's only through the blood of Jesus - His sacrifice FOR US - that enables us to approach the throne of grace ... and with boldness and confidence, as we are told in Hebrews 4:16.
The beauty of this passage is Daniel's quick recognition of this fact, the respectful attitude and humble heart in which he makes his requests known to God.
God is willing and able to listen to our prayers. He doesn't choose to listen based on our righteousness. Even though Isaiah 59:2 says refers to our sins causing God to hide his face ... As a New Testament Believer, we can confess our sins and have confidence that Jesus, our great High Priest, made a way for us.
