Prayer 101: 1. Understanding God

How can you effectively pray if you don't know anything about to Whom you are praying? 

That may seem a bit harsh, and surely God answers the prayers of those who don't know Him but are wholeheartedly seeking Him, but knowing and understanding God and His Word are the first step in developing an effective and vibrant prayer life.

Throughout the Bible we read passages such as this, "The  LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time, Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach, and without the law. But in their distress, they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them." 2 Chronicles 15:2-4.

Why do we seek after God? Why do we pray? 

Seeking after God may have us calling out to Him. Sometimes in a whisper. Sometimes in a cry. Sometimes with a shout. All of this - whispering, crying, and shouting - is prayer. We want God to be present in our lives, and surely He is. We want Him to intervene in our lives and at times  (if we know and understand God) to change our lives.

Daniel understood this. He wanted God to intervene. He wanted God to change not only his life but those of his Jewish brethren living in exile.  And because Daniel had a good knowledge and understanding of God and His  Word, he was able to pray mightily, specifically and knowingly. Let's break these parts down piece by piece.

First of all, how do we know that Daniel had a good knowledge and understanding of God and His Word? We know because of the text of Daniel's prayer and the verses leading up to the prayer itself. In fact, throughout the entire book of Daniel,  you have to conclude that although living in exile,  Daniel was steeped in a relationship with God and His Word. As we mentioned in the Introduction to this series, we can picture Daniel bringing with him to Babylon the many scrolls of God's Word.

Daniel knew God because he studied the Scriptures. He was a constant student of the Law and at least two of the prophets (Jeremiah and Isaiah). The Psalms would have been songs for the hope of the exiles.

We read in Daniel 9:2 that, "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."  He read and studied all of the Scriptures available to him. 

Daniel knew that the seventy years were coming to a close. He knew what Jeremiah wrote about, "Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: 'Because you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant   Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,'  declares the LORD, 'and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate  wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy  years.'" Jeremiah 25:8-11.

And as Daniel continued reading God's Word and praying, his joy became complete. When Daniel "did the math", verse 12 from that same passage of  Jeremiah, must have jumped off the page, "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation,  the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it desolate forever".

Daniel could pray confidently that God was in and had always been in control,  and now He was about to do something amazing! God would bring His people home. And Daniel would be a witness to it all.

Daniel not only understood God's Word, but he also grasped Who God is. Unfortunately,  English doesn't do Daniel's prayer the proper justice it deserves. I'm not a Greek or Hebrew scholar, but I read the notes! Throughout his prayer, Daniel calls God by several names. He refers to Him as "Yahweh"  and "Adonai" and "El" or "Elohim". Not only are these names of God but they also help to describe What He is. God's Names describe His attributes as well as His character. 

God as Yahweh is the Creator of all. According to the great Bible scholar  Charles Ryrie, the name "Yahweh" refers to God's holiness and His provision of redemption. In our English Bibles, we see Yahweh written as "GOD" or "LORD". This is God's covenant name. "I am that I am." 

As Adonai, He is Lord of all. God superintends the universe. Everything is subject to Him. "Adonai" is used in the many prayers throughout the  Bible. Adonai is typically written as "Lord".

Elohim or El is coupled with many words to further describe who God is and what he does. El Shaddai is God Almighty; El Elyon is God Most High; El Hai is the Living God; El Olam is the Everlasting God; El Roi is God my Shepherd. Many biblical characters include "El" in their own names:  Gabriel is the "strength of God"; Israel is "struggled or struggles with  God" (that's really appropriate when you think about it; Israel is still struggling with God); even Daniel means "God's judgment". Names are powerful words and they say a great deal about that person.

Most of all, toward the end of Daniel's prayer we notice how he refers to  God. In verse 19, Daniel says "my God"; God is personal to him. There is utter trust (we'll talk more about Trust in Week 8). Daniel spent his entire life learning to know God. Through reading the Scriptures and praying, Daniel knew God. That's how we need to know God.

In knowing God, we can pray:

• Mightily
• Specifically
• Knowingly

Daniel, because he knew God, knew how to pray mightily. Hebrews puts it this way, "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence [boldly or mightily], so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16. Daniel may have been an Old Testament saint, but he understood New Testament theology! He was "unafraid" to approach God and pray. He could pray boldly and with confidence for God to bring His people Israel out of captivity.

How often do we pray "mightily"? Probably not often enough. I don't know about you, but most of the time my praying sounds like begging and pleading and whining. When I do buck up and pray mightily and with confidence, my God goes before me. He accomplishes things great and small to me, through me, and for me. Because I am one of His children,  because I am in a personal relationship with Him, I am expected to pray mightily. I should never be afraid of coming into my Father's study to seek Him and His will and plan.

Next, Daniel, because he knew God and His Word, knew how to pray specifically. Daniel knew the Scriptures. He knew that the Babylonian exile was about to come to an end. He could pray specifically that God would keep His promise to His people.

After living almost 70 years in exile along with the other thousands of Jews,  Daniel wanted to see God bring His people back to the land of  Promise. Would some stay? Yes. But God's Plan was that the people return to Judah and Jerusalem and that the Temple would be rebuilt. The land had had its sabbath rest.

Daniel could specifically pray and confess the sins of the Israelites. He knew what God's rules of life and living were. He understood the transgressions of himself and of all the people. He knew that God is merciful and righteous. He knew that God would restore His children not because of anything they had done, but only because of His mercy and love.

Daniel could also pray for the Medes and Persians, the conquerors of the  Babylonians and current "oppressors" of the Jewish people. Why? Because that was the kingdom that God would use to bring the Israelites back to the Promised Land. Daniel understood who he had to specifically pray for.

Am I praying specifically for the various aspects of God's Plan and my life? Usually not. God wants us to mention the details. Praying that someone or something is "blessed" is... so what? But, what do I want God to do in me and through me or for me in His Plan and Will? Although God knows everything about me and my needs, He wants to hear me articulate these items specifically. As we teach our children, "use your words!", so God wants us to speak and converse and pray to Him.

Finally, Daniel prayed knowingly. That almost sounds redundant because we've been mentioning this fact right along, but in his prayer, we read in verses 13 and 14, "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. The LORD did not  hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the LORD our  God is righteous  in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him." From some of the oldest parts of the law of Moses, Daniel understood what God's Plan was. 

In Leviticus, after the Israelites had been brought up out of Egypt, God knew what would eventually happen to His people. 

Leviticus 26:27 - 35  reads: "'If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I Myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste to your sanctuaries, and I  will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. I Myself will lay waste the land so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. All the time that it lies desolate, the  land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in  it.'"

That passage of Leviticus was written about 700 to 800 years before the fall of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon. 

In light of the current situation, that's remarkable! And all Daniel had to do was read the Scriptures. That's why God calls and even demands that we stay in His Word. How can we know God and His Word if we're not reading and studying it and praying it back to Him?

Many Christians, unfortunately, don't believe that it's necessary to read their Bible every day. Some believe that because we live in God's "Age of Grace", we can forego reading the Old Testament. Well, if we don't read all of the Bible, how in the world are we going to get to know God? How will we know what He is doing? How will we know what His Plans are? How much more will we come to an understanding of how Good He is and how much He loves us?

After reading the Bible in 90 Days, I've begun to rediscover the "smorgasbord" or the feast of God's Word.  I'm more hungry; more thirsty. The Words haven't changed, but His Word is changing me from the inside. It will do the same for you.

Get back into daily reading, studying, and praying God's Word. Let the pages of Holy Scripture rip through and into your heart and mind  (Hebrews 4:12; a further look at this passage in Week 6). Let God teach you about Himself and how He operates. Pray back to Him what you read as an acknowledgment of His goodness, love, and sovereignty. Enjoy a  vibrant prayer life that pursues God's Glory and your ultimate joy. He's waiting there for you.

One final thought as we end this lesson on understanding God. The believer, the Christian, is to be about seeking God and therefore ultimate wisdom. When we apply wisdom, that is understanding. Job 28:28  says, "The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding." I would say that that is a "negative" sense of understanding; the  positive would be something like this: "The fear of the Lord - that is  wisdom, and to know, obey and follow God and His commands is  understanding." 

Do we understand who God is, what His character is, and what He has called you and me to do as part of His divine Will and Plan? As we apply God's wisdom to our own lives, we will continue to BE with Him.

Help us Lord to lovingly fear You. Draw us close in mercy and grace. Keep us attentive to Your Word. Amen.