“Because of who you are!”

Daniel was a man of prayer like non other! In all the years he spent in captivity in Babylon and under three different kings he never stopped praying. Even when facing great persecution and life threatening situations, he always prayed.

One day, Daniel was contemplating the 70 years of captivity due to Israel’s sin and rejection of God’s Word. Even though he didn’t sin in this case, he owned and included himself in Israel’s sin. In Daniel chapter 9, he prayed, fasted and repented. He confessed Israel’s iniquity, rebellion, turning aside from the Lord and not listening to God’s messengers. He knew that’s why calamity was upon Israel and asked God to turn away His anger and wrath, to listen to his prayer and to ask the Lord to shine His face, as before, on Israel.

But the most important thing is stated in Daniel 9:18. Speaking for Israel, Daniel said that we were not coming before the Lord based on any merits of our own… or our own righteousness, but on account of the great compassion of the Lord… for His sake!

That’s how we can pray and come to the Lord when we sin and miss the mark, when our guilt and shame sometime overwhelms us, when we feel unworthy to come before the Lord. We bring nothing to Him… no merit in us and no righteousness apart from Him! But, it’s because of the great compassion of the Lord that we come to Him. It’s because of who He is that we can come to Him… not anything in us!

So don’t let our own feelings, unworthiness, and even our sin stop us from coming and praying to the Lord. We can do so confidently and assured that He will be there for us and hear us… BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS… a God of great, great compassion!