The Praying & The Waiting

I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. Daniel 9 verses 2 & 3.

THE PRAYING

Friends, I love the book of Daniel. One of the earliest bible stories that I remember as a child are those of Daniel. Some of the highlights from those stories include when Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were taken to King Nebuchadnezzar’s court along with other young men, and put in the charge of the Chief of the court officials who was to teach them the language and the literature of the Babylonians. They were also to be fed plenty of meat and wine so that they would grow strong and healthy. But the bible tells us that Daniel and his friends refused to defile themselves with royal food and wine, and instead asked permission to partake of only water and vegetables. The official was aghast, and told them that the King would have his head if they turned out looking worse than the other young men because they had not been well fed. But Daniel said to the official “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetable to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” (Daniel 1 Verse 12 & 13) In verse 15 the bible tells us that they looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who ate royal food.

Why I love the book of Daniel is because throughout its 12 chapters, it exhibits the power of praying continuously. Indeed it is littered with Daniels prayers and visions. And it shows the power of not just praying, but praying continuously and waiting on God. When Nebuchadnezzar threatened to have all the wise men killed if they could not interpret his dream, the bible tells us that Daniel went home and urged his friends to pray, as he himself prayed as well. That night not only was the Kings dream revealed to Daniel, the meaning of the dream was revealed as well. Daniel not only prayed to God, he encouraged his friends in prayer.

This touches me because prayer is an essential part of keeping our candle burning in an often cold world. In the simplest sense, prayer is talking to God. That God, as mighty and powerful as he is grants us instant audience no matter how late in the day it is, or how many sins we’ve committed, or how often we’ve ignored him, is very humbling indeed to contemplate. We have only to open our hearts and minds and speak to him, and he hears us.

The bible points out that Daniel went home and encouraged his friends to pray, and I think one would be hard pressed to overstate the significance of this. As Christians we owe it to each other, to encourage ourselves in prayer. Do you know someone whose faith has been tested? Or someone who is going through a difficult time? Prayer is the most effective recommendation you can make; more powerful than any doctor, lawyer, occupation, or anything else we can think of. St Paul said it best: Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

THE WAITING

There is a saying that I hear often: The fastest distance between your problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.

I like the spirit in which the saying is intended; point taken. There is no other route to the solutions to our problems than the route of prayer.

However, perhaps because the saying contains the word “fastest”, to me it somehow adheres to a “quick fix” doctrine, which connotes that the moment our knees hit the floor all of our troubles evaporate. This is not always true. Sometimes you can be months and years in the praying, for answers you even forget. My friends, we must be steadfast in prayer, not giving up, but constantly reaffirming our faith in God. Alas, I am compelled to refer back to Daniel.

When I was growing up in boarding school in Nigeria, I heard a sermon once on one of Daniels prayers. From Chapter 9 and 10, and an excerpt I posted above for you all to see. Let me summarize, but before I do I just want to say that other than the Lords prayer, I recommend Daniels prayer in Chapter 9 to anyone who wants to learn more and more how to pray.

Daniel saw a vision that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years, and in his grief he turned to the lord to beg for mercy and understanding. He began by praising God, calling him great and awesome. He confessed thoroughly the sins of Israel against God, noting that they have not kept their end of the covenant their fathers made with God, and he asked God for mercy. “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous”, he said “But because of your mercy”.

(The book of Daniel is filled with many dreams.)

In Chapter 10, Daniel is visited by the Angel Gabriel. And this is what the angel of the lord says to him “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the Prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me, because I was detained there with the King of Persia. Now I have come to you to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come”. (Daniel 10 verses 12-14)

So, Angel Gabriel tells Daniel that on the day he said his prayer God heard him. But as he came to Daniel with the answer to his prayer, he was held up by the Prince of Persia (The evil spirit that ruled the Persian world), for 21 days! Until God sent the Arch Angel Michael to help Angel Gabriel, then he came to Daniel with the answer to Daniel’s prayer.

As a boy I was entranced by this tale. I fantasized about it, related it to a video game that I had played that was titled Prince of Persia. But the moral of the story always stayed with me: Don’t give up on your prayer. We say prayers, and sometimes it seems like our answers are not there right away, but we do not know the reasons why we have not received our answers. Maybe God wants to test our patience; maybe our answer is not what we need at the time. But maybe, as in the case of Daniel, our prayer has already been answered on the day that we said it, but our answer is being delayed by the devil. What can provide the breakthrough that gives us victory in the form of our answer? What can send the arch Angel Michael to help Angel Gabriel overcome the “Prince of Persia” in our lives, and bring us the answer to our prayers? More Prayer!

My brothers and sisters, I urge you to encourage each other in prayer.

I urge you to pray…over and over and over…


PSALM 21 verses 13 & 14
I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the lord
In the land of the living.
Wait for the lord; be strong and take heart
And wait for the lord

TESTIMONY: What are you really praying for?

My Brothers and sisters I have a confession: A lot of times when I ask God for something I do not know what I am asking for. I may think I know at the time, but many months later I realize that at the time I was praying, what I thought I needed was not really what I needed.

In the Summer of 2004 I had just graduated from College and I was looking for a job. Being new to the job search scene, I really didn’t know where to begin. Back then I was interning at the Investment Bank Morgan Stanley, and I was also working as a part-time telemarketer for the New York Times (Try selling a liberal newspaper in conservative places such as Wisconsin!).
My internship with Morgan Stanley was hardly lucrative, they paid barely above the minimum wage, but the impression that having such a prestigious name on my resume could potentially make, was worth the sacrifice in my estimation.

Somehow I got an interview with an Insurance Company called Chubb Insurance. I remember how I would jeopardize my employment at the telemarketing company by taking off to interview with Chubb since they were located so far away. In total I went down there for 3 interviews, each more successful than the last. I met with various people who told me that the company was a great company for minorities, and they would be sure to help me out. I knew that I could not depend on any man, so I put the whole process before God.

At my final interview I met with the head of the division and he told me that the interviewing process had come down to me and another candidate. He told me that he really liked me, and I would be hearing from him one way or another the next week.

The next week came and went and I heard nothing.

When I finally called to inquire as to what decision they made, the person I spoke to (Who had made many of these promises) barely even remembered my name. He told me that he would call their Human Resources department and call me back, but he never did call me back.
When I finally took the initiative and called their Human Resources the department, the lady I had been dealing with told me that they had decided to go with the other candidate. I asked why they had not called or sent an email to let me know, and she said something about a letter that had been sent to me in the mail.

When I got off the phone with her, for some reason, though I was disappointed, I was happy! I was happy because I knew that God was in control. I remember saying a prayer of thanks over and over to God.

A month or so later I got another interview with my current company, and in retrospect I cannot thank God enough for not giving me the job with Chubb Insurance! He had something infinitely better in store for me!

There are many instances where I have asked God for things I thought I needed at the time, but when his plan for me is revealed I realize how wrong I was. It just reinforces the fact that we should thank God in all things. His plan for us is infinitely more magnificent than anything we can envision for ourselves.