There are about 650 prayers recorded in the Bible. Some are just a sentence or a paragraph. But many of them take up a half-a-chapter, or even an entire chapter of Scripture!

Isn’t that fascinating? The Bible doesn’t teach us how to pray by giving us step-by-step instructions on the subject. It teaches us to pray by giving us hundreds of examples, like the one in Daniel 9:4-19.

In God’s Sovereign plan for the construction of His eternal Word – this book that would be recorded and preserved and handed down through the centuries to benefit and instruct generations of people in the character and nature of God’s relationship with people – His plan was that His Word would include hundreds of examples of people praying.

There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible – and half of one of those precious, sacred chapters in God’s Word is devoted to just one man’s prayer! (Daniel 9:4-19)

The best way to learn how to pray is by praying. We can read books on prayer, watch videos, attend conferences, read blogs – but we will never learn how to pray until we start practicing prayer itself.

And the Bible offers 650 examples of the prayers of the people of God through the centuries that we can learn from.

Look with me at Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9, verse 13 –

“Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.”

According to Daniel’s prayer, how do we “seek the favor of the Lord”? He says it is “by turning from our sins and giving attention to God’s truth.” This is what Daniel models for us in his prayer to God.

Daniel pours out this impassioned prayer of contrition and confession, just pleading with God to look with mercy upon His people. Daniel admits that his people are all getting what they deserve according to the Law – their situation is a direct result of their own rebellion from God – but Daniel asks God to look with mercy on His people, forgive them of their sin, and rescue them from the consequences of their sin.

And then in verse 23, the angel of the Lord brings a response to Daniel like this:

“As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.”

“You are highly esteemed.”

What a wonderful declaration from God in response to Daniel’s prayer! We’ll pause there for now and pick back up with the power of God’s loving response to Daniel in the next post.