Topical Bible: Answers To Prayer: Daniel

Bible > Topical > Answers To Prayer

◄ Answers To Prayer: Daniel ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The Book of Daniel provides profound insights into the power and efficacy of prayer, showcasing how God responds to the earnest petitions of His faithful servant, Daniel. Throughout the narrative, Daniel's life is marked by a consistent and disciplined prayer life, which results in divine intervention and revelation.

Daniel's Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation

One of the most notable instances of answered prayer in Daniel's life occurs in Daniel 2. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has a troubling dream and demands that his wise men not only interpret the dream but also recount it without prior knowledge. When they fail, the king orders their execution, which includes Daniel and his companions. In response, Daniel seeks time from the king and turns to prayer. Daniel 2:17-18 states, "Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, urging them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon."

God answers their prayers by revealing the mystery to Daniel in a vision. Daniel 2:19 records, "During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven." Daniel's prayer is characterized by humility and dependence on God, and the answer not only saves their lives but also leads to the glorification of God before the king.

Daniel's Prayer for Deliverance

Another significant instance is found in Daniel 6, where Daniel's commitment to prayer leads to his deliverance from the lions' den. Despite a royal decree that forbids prayer to anyone except King Darius, Daniel continues his practice of praying three times a day. Daniel 6:10 notes, "Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before."

Daniel's unwavering faith results in divine protection. When he is thrown into the lions' den, God sends an angel to shut the lions' mouths, sparing Daniel's life. This miraculous deliverance is a direct answer to Daniel's steadfast prayer and faithfulness, leading King Darius to acknowledge the power of Daniel's God.

Daniel's Intercessory Prayer for His People

In Daniel 9, we see Daniel engaging in intercessory prayer on behalf of his people, Israel. Understanding from the Scriptures that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years, Daniel turns to God in prayer and fasting, confessing the sins of his people and pleading for mercy. Daniel 9:3-4 states, "So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: 'O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments.'"

God responds to Daniel's heartfelt prayer by sending the angel Gabriel to give him insight and understanding about the future of Israel. This answer not only provides Daniel with prophetic revelation but also reassures him of God's sovereign plan and faithfulness to His covenant promises.

Daniel's Prayer and the Vision of the Man

In Daniel 10, Daniel is once again engaged in prayer, seeking understanding of a vision he had received. After three weeks of mourning and fasting, a heavenly messenger appears to him. Daniel 10:12 records the messenger's words: "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them."

This passage highlights the spiritual warfare that can accompany prayer, as the messenger explains that he was delayed by the prince of the Persian kingdom. Nevertheless, Daniel's persistence in prayer results in a profound encounter and further revelation about future events.

Throughout the Book of Daniel, the theme of answered prayer is intricately woven into the narrative, demonstrating God's responsiveness to the prayers of His faithful servant. Daniel's life exemplifies the power of prayer, characterized by humility, persistence, and unwavering faith in God's sovereignty and goodness.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Daniel 9:20-23
And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Daniel, the Praying Captive
... The passage furthermore gives us some intimation as to the cause of delayed answers
to prayer. For "three full weeks" Daniel mourned and prayed, and for "one ...
/.../bounds/prayer and praying men/x daniel the praying captive.htm

Answers to Prayer
... himself repeatedly proved that the Lord hears and answers prayer! ... THE PRAYER OF A
MISSIONARY IN MEXICO ANSWERED ... they should not hurt his servant Daniel, so He ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/the wonders of prayer/answers to prayer.htm

Letter v. Prayer and Fasting.
... destruction, because they could not discover Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Daniel and
his ... evidence here presented, who can doubt that God hears and answers prayer? ...
/.../letter v prayer and fasting.htm

The Prayer of Faith.
... Look at Daniel. ... set his heart and his face unto the Lord, to seek by prayer and
supplications ... Why, that God will grant answers to prayer when it is importunate. ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture v the prayer of.htm

The Christian Prayer
... 12:12). 3. In private (Matthew 6:6; Mark 1:35; Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10).
The ... 3:20,21). ANSWERS TO PRAYER. Nothing could indicate ...
/.../sell/studies in the life of the christian/study vii the christian prayer.htm

Of Prayer
... Daniel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Baruch ... The above four rules of prayer not so rigidly
exacted, as that every prayer deficient in them in any respect is ... Answers. ...
/.../calvin/of prayer--a perpetual exercise of faith/of prayer.htm

The Righteousness of Christ, an Everlasting Righteousness
... Daniel at this time too was making confession one part of his prayer; for we are
never, never in a better frame to receive answers from above, than when we are ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the righteousness of christ an.htm

God's Sovereignty and Prayer
... into action but through the direct answers vouchsafed to ... from at once betaking himself
to prayer (James 5:17 ... Daniel "understood" by the writings of the prophets ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter nine gods sovereignty and.htm

Bear up the Hands that Hang Down, by Faith and Prayer...
... and pray, and hear no voice, but stay till God answers. ... as she was, in answer to
the prayer of Zacharias. ... Daniel's praying opened to him the vision of prophecy ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/purpose in prayer/chapter ix bear up the.htm

The Gospel of the Kingdom.
... and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Daniel 2:44 ... the Father
in the voice from Heaven, and in the immediate answers to prayer in the ...
/.../burbidge/the kingdom of heaven what is it/chapter ii the gospel of.htm