“O Lord, the great and awesome God”.. – Daniel 9:4a
The Great Chasm
Before uttering these words in prayer, Daniel humbled himself with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. He was coming before the throne of God as a contrite sinner. With a shamed face and a broken heart, he was seeking the mercy of His creator. Recognizing the grossness of his sins and the purity of God, Daniel was well aware of the great chasm between them. Daniel, an exile as a result of Israel’s disobedience to God’s commands, was reaching out to God who “keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”
O Lord
Daniel had no disillusionment about what side of the covenant he was on. He recognized God as King and he and the Israelites as the servants. God’s right was to command, Daniel and the Israelites were expected to obey. When he addresses God he does so with respect and reverence. With veneration, Daniel pours out his heart to God. Although they have “failed” God, Daniel knows God will never “fail” His children. With this assurance, Daniel comes before the throne of God with confidence despite the great chasm between himself and his Holy God.
The Great
Daniel possessed more than an intellectual knowledge of God. For decades Daniel experienced and witnessed the greatness of God. Daniel not only witnessed the wrath of God in His judgment of Jerusalem but time and again He saw the hand of God work in miraculous ways. Despite the powerful kings and nations that rose and fell during his lifetime, Daniel recognized the sovereignty of God orchestrating every event. He could not only rest in the fact that God was in control, more importantly, he could approach and communicate with God. While many had turned to idols, Daniel never wavered. His faith was always anchored in God. The True God whose wrath is balanced with perfect love and mercy. The attributes that Daniel is now appealing to as he intercedes on behalf of his people.
And Awesome
To Daniel, God is awe-inspiring. How could he be otherwise? God’s majesty is unrivaled. Who else is self-existent? Who else is omniscient? How about immutable? Or omnipresent? Who else is omnipotent? Perfectly holy? Is it any wonder Daniel approaches God with the humility and veneration that he does. I imagine that as Daniel grew older, God grew larger and more majestic in Daniel’s sight. Daniel was without question a wise man. He always maintained a healthy fear of God. A fear which kept him from an unhealthy fear of man and in an intimate relationship with his Creator.
“I prayed to the Lord, my God.”
Daniel’s prayers were never addressed to some uncaring ogre. His pleas were not made to some vending machine in the sky. Daniel’s relationship with God is what God wanted all along. Personal. To Daniel, God was his God. Daniel had a special, intimate relationship with his heavenly Father. Sure he was aware of the wrath of God. He knew how severe God could be when it came to punishing sin. Few people in history would be better acquainted with this side of God than Daniel. But Daniel recognized that the righteousness of God demanded these things. God would not be God if He were not faithful to His Word. It is this faithfulness that gives Daniel hope.
Open Arms
For the majority of his life, Daniel had witnessed the punishment that was meted out for disobedience. Now, as he prays, he is anticipating the blessing that will come from confession and repentance. God’s arms are always open waiting for the prodigal to return. Daniel is more than yearning for Israel’s return. As he prays to his God, Daniel is testing His steadfast love. A test that cannot fail.
Daniel’s prayer is powerful. His testimony is exemplary. His witness is convicting. I can look at saints like Daniel, Jeremiah, and Job and they seem like such spiritual giants, but at the end of the day, they were mortal men. I can respect their faithfulness and certainly try to learn from their lives, but I will never be them. Nobody will. But I take great hope that their God is my God. Despite the chasm caused by sin, I can approach the throne of God with confidence and call Him “Abba, Father.” That is what God longs for. That is why Christ hung on a cross.
Clearer View
The time difference between us and Daniel has not diminished the attributes of God. That will never happen. But the life and death of Christ and the New Covenant have given us an advantage. Through Christ, we can see God more clearly than the Old Testament saints could. Indwelled by the Holy Spirit, we have a helper Israel did not. On this side of Calvary, we are offered a view that Daniel did not have. The question is, what are we doing with it?
Do you recognize the Sovereignty of God not just over his creation, but over every detail of your life in particular? Do the attributes of God cause you to stand in awe? Are you aware of the majesty of God? Does His holiness cause a reverence for Him? How do His attributes influence your daily living? I challenge you to read Daniel’s prayer as recorded in Daniel chapter nine. I realize it doesn’t have the “thrill” of the lion’s den, the intrigue of his interview with Gabriel, or the suspense of his end-time vision, but its lessons may be more practical. Perhaps even life-changing.
Our God
You and I will never be Daniel, but his God is our God. We need to ask ourselves: Do we have the same reverence for God as Daniel did? Are we as intimate with God as Daniel was? If not, there is a lot we can learn from Daniel’s prayer life. I believe it was the secret to his intimacy. An intimacy your God longs for.
He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. – Daniel 6:10b
3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God…” – Daniel 9:3-4a