THE VALUE OF PRAYER (Dan 10:1-14)
Dr. Paul Manuel—2003
Some people are always on the lookout for bargains. They rarely pay full price for anything, because they know it must be available somewhere else for less.
Sometimes the benefit we derive is immediately evident, in which case we are ready to make whatever investment is needed. At other times, the return is either not immediate or not obvious, in which case, we may be less enthusiastic about committing ourselves or our resources. Prayer fits into that second category. We often do not see the result right away and sometimes not at all, which makes us reluctant to devote much effort to it. To stimulate our thinking about The Value of Prayer, I would like us to consider the example of Daniel.1
Daniel is a contemporary of Ezekiel and, like the prophet, is part of the Jewish community Nebuchadnezzar had exiled to Babylon. Under Cyrus, seventy years later, the people have begun returning to their own land, but they will still face great hardship, as Daniel discovers in a troubling vision. That Daniel would receive such a revelation is not unusual, for he has a reputation as someone who "could understand visions and dreams of all kinds" (Dan 1:17b).2 Like his ancestor Joseph, Daniel had the spiritual gift of interpretation.3 We will leave the substance of the vision, though, for another time. This morning, I want us to examine Daniel's response as he petitions God for help, because the account of his experience is one of the most informative passages in scripture about The Value of Prayer. Please turn to chapter 10, where we note first...
I. The Price of Prayer
These costs are not unique to Daniel, nor are they always the same. People have realized variations of them at other times.4
paying the price of prayer, to stress the urgency and sincerity of their request.
Most times, the majority of your petitioning concerns more mundane matters and does not rise to the level of a national catastrophe. At some time, though, you may encounter a personal problem (e.g., a life-threatening illness, a financial crisis) that is the individual equivalent of these great tragedies and that warrants the same serious appeal before God. In other words, the price of prayer for these biblical figures is not limited to them. The same cost may apply to you. If such an occasion arises, do not shrink from using the entire inventory of petitionary tools.
This morning, the price of prayer for you will be minimal. It should not be emotionally draining. Your time commitment is a few minutes not weeks, days, or even hours. You will not be abstaining from food, and you probably used your normal lotions this morning. Nevertheless, at other times, you may recognize the need to invest more and, reading further, you see that the value of such a spiritual exercise is not merely in the price of prayer. It is also evident in...
II. The Potential of Prayer
These results are not unique to Daniel, nor are they always the same. The instances I cited earlier illustrate how people have realized various answers to prayer at other times.5
Daniel prayed for three weeks before he received an answer, demonstrating the importance of persistence in prayer. To illustrate this principle, Jesus told a parable about a widow who "kept coming" (Luke 18:3) before a certain judge to plead her case, a judge who was at first resistant to her petition but who eventually relented and granted her request saying,6
A Checklist for Effective Prayer from Jesus' Instruction about Prayer
Perhaps the greatest reason people do not pray as they should is that they underestimate its potential and, therefore, are unwilling to pay its price.
A young blonde was vacationing in the depths of Louisiana and wanted a pair of genuine alligator shoes in the worst way, but she refused to pay the high prices local vendors were asking. After becoming frustrated with the "no haggle" policy of one shopkeeper, she turned in a huff to leave. "Maybe I'll just catch my own alligator, so I can get a pair of shoes at a reasonable price!" she said. "Go right ahead," the shopkeeper replied. "Maybe you'll catch a big one!" Determined, the blonde headed for the swamps. Later that day, as the shopkeeper was heading home, he spotted the young woman standing waist deep in the water, shotgun in hand, as a huge nine-foot alligator swam quickly toward her. She took aim, shot the creature, and with a great deal of effort hauled it onto the bank, where several more carcasses lay nearby. Amazed, the shopkeeper watched her flip the alligator on its back, then heard her mutter, "Darn...this one isn't wearing shoes either!"We are always on the look out for a good value, not just at the store but in many areas of life. We want the way we spend our money, our time, and our energy to be worthwhile.
Sometimes the benefit we derive is immediately evident, in which case we are ready to make whatever investment is needed. At other times, the return is either not immediate or not obvious, in which case, we may be less enthusiastic about committing ourselves or our resources. Prayer fits into that second category. We often do not see the result right away and sometimes not at all, which makes us reluctant to devote much effort to it. To stimulate our thinking about The Value of Prayer, I would like us to consider the example of Daniel.1
Daniel is a contemporary of Ezekiel and, like the prophet, is part of the Jewish community Nebuchadnezzar had exiled to Babylon. Under Cyrus, seventy years later, the people have begun returning to their own land, but they will still face great hardship, as Daniel discovers in a troubling vision. That Daniel would receive such a revelation is not unusual, for he has a reputation as someone who "could understand visions and dreams of all kinds" (Dan 1:17b).2 Like his ancestor Joseph, Daniel had the spiritual gift of interpretation.3 We will leave the substance of the vision, though, for another time. This morning, I want us to examine Daniel's response as he petitions God for help, because the account of his experience is one of the most informative passages in scripture about The Value of Prayer. Please turn to chapter 10, where we note first...
I. The Price of Prayer
Dan 10:1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel.... Its message was true and it concerned a great war.... 2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.The Value of Prayer is, in part, its price. We do not often think of prayer in these terms, but for Daniel, it cost him in at least three ways, and they are not unique to his situation. A similar cost may attend our prayer as well. First...
A. There may be an emotional cost. (Dan 10:2, cf. v. 12)The vision was deeply disturbing to Daniel because the trouble he saw ahead would affect his own people. So, he says, "I...mourned" (v. 2), a process, we discover later, he expressed by humbling himself before God (v. 12). There may be an emotional cost. Second...
B. There may be a temporal cost. (Dan 10:2-3)Daniel recognized that the matter was grave and required more than a quick word to God as he went about his normal schedule. Daniel devoted "three weeks" to this petition (vv. 2-3). So, we see there may be a temporal cost. Third...
C. There may be a physical cost. (Dan 10:3)To demonstrate the seriousness of his concern, Daniel restricted his customary diet and abstained from his favorite bath ointments. "I ate no choice food...and I used no lotions" (v. 3). There may be a physical cost.
These costs are not unique to Daniel, nor are they always the same. People have realized variations of them at other times.4
- When the Philistines returned the ark after Israel's failed attempt to use it in battle...
1 Sam 7:2 It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD.
- When Nehemiah, still living in Babylon, received news about the deplorable state of Jerusalem...
Neh 1:4b For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
- When God threatened to destroy Nineveh, the king issued a city-wide decree...
Jonah 3:7b Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink [for as long as is necessary]. 8a-b But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God.
- When Haman plotted to exterminate all the Jews in Persia, Esther said...
Esth 4:16 [G]ather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.... When this is done, I will go to the king.... And if I perish, I perish.On such occasions as these, people have responded to a national catastrophe by
paying the price of prayer, to stress the urgency and sincerity of their request.
Most times, the majority of your petitioning concerns more mundane matters and does not rise to the level of a national catastrophe. At some time, though, you may encounter a personal problem (e.g., a life-threatening illness, a financial crisis) that is the individual equivalent of these great tragedies and that warrants the same serious appeal before God. In other words, the price of prayer for these biblical figures is not limited to them. The same cost may apply to you. If such an occasion arises, do not shrink from using the entire inventory of petitionary tools.
This morning, the price of prayer for you will be minimal. It should not be emotionally draining. Your time commitment is a few minutes not weeks, days, or even hours. You will not be abstaining from food, and you probably used your normal lotions this morning. Nevertheless, at other times, you may recognize the need to invest more and, reading further, you see that the value of such a spiritual exercise is not merely in the price of prayer. It is also evident in...
II. The Potential of Prayer
Dan 10:5 I looked up and there before me was a man [an angel] dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist.... 11 He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you...for I have now been sent to you.... 12 ...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. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.... 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come."In addition to its price, The Value of Prayer consists also in its potential. This is how we prefer to think of prayer, according to what it accomplishes. For Daniel, his prayer produced at least three results, which we may experience as well. First...
A. There may be an intellectual return. (Dan 10:11, cf. 14)Daniel had sought "to gain understanding" of the confusing vision he had received. That is precisely what this angel brings (v. 14), and he urges Daniel, saying "consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you" (v. 11). There may be an intellectual return. Second...
B. There may be an emotional return. (Dan 10:12)The vision depicted a threat to the very existence of God's people, greatly troubling Daniel, and the angel's appearance only added to his distress. So the messenger begins with words of encouragement: "Do not be afraid" (v. 12). There may be an emotional return. Third...
C. There may be a spiritual return. (Dan 10:13)Daniel's petition triggered a confrontation in the heavenly realm. Satan's forces did not want Daniel to understand the vision and attempted to stop God's messenger, but he was able to prevail because, as the angel says, "Michael... came to help me" (v. 13). There may be a spiritual return.
These results are not unique to Daniel, nor are they always the same. The instances I cited earlier illustrate how people have realized various answers to prayer at other times.5
- After "twenty years" of mourning and seeking God, when next the Philistines attacked Israel...
1 Sam 7:10 ...the LORD thundered...against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.... 13a ... and did not invade Israelite territory again.
- After days of mourning, fasting, and praying for Jerusalem, Nehemiah received several assurances of support from the Persian government to help rebuild the city...
Neh 2:8b ...because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
- After the Ninevite's period of fasting, wearing sackcloth, and calling "urgently on God" in repentance...
Jonah 3:10 ...God...had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
- After "three days" of fasting, presumably accompanied by petitioning God, Esther successfully appeared before the king, who...
Esth 8:11 ...granted the Jews in every city the right to...protect themselves...and to plunder the property of their enemies.On such occasions as these, people who were willing to pay the price of prayer also saw the potential of prayer, when God granted their requests.
Daniel prayed for three weeks before he received an answer, demonstrating the importance of persistence in prayer. To illustrate this principle, Jesus told a parable about a widow who "kept coming" (Luke 18:3) before a certain judge to plead her case, a judge who was at first resistant to her petition but who eventually relented and granted her request saying,6
Luke 18:5 I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!Jesus does not identify the widow's problem, only how she dealt with it, by being persistent.
- Persistence in prayer may be essential for success. Three times, Elijah asked God to raise the Zarephath widow's son, and God granted his request...
1 Kgs 17:22 The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived.
- Persistence in prayer does not, however, guarantee success. Three times, Paul asked God to relieve the physical malady he suffered, and God denied his request,7 stating...
2 Cor 12:9a ...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.So, how can you tell when you have prayed enough or if you are even praying properly? Here is...
A Checklist for Effective Prayer from Jesus' Instruction about Prayer
- Are you praying with the right motive (i.e., for God's glory and not for selfish gain; Matt 6:5, 10)?8
Matt 6:5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love...to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.... 10 your kingdom come, your will be done....
- Are you praying in the right direction (i.e., to God the Father and not "to" someone or something else; Matt 6:6,)?9
Matt 6:6 [W]hen you pray...pray to your Father.... 9 This...is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven...
- Are you praying with the right method (i.e., with deliberate intention and not with mechanical repetition; Matt 6:7)?10
Matt 6:7 ...when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
- Are you praying in the right condition (i.e., in righteousness and not in unrepentant sin; Matt 6:12)?11
Matt 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.This is not an exhaustive list, but it hits some of the high points, elements essential to effective prayer.12
Perhaps the greatest reason people do not pray as they should is that they underestimate its potential and, therefore, are unwilling to pay its price.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.As you pray, keep in mind that your efforts are not without effect. Whether its results are in ways we see, such as receiving understanding and encouragement, or in ways we do not see, such as advancing God's cause in the heavenly realm, prayer—your prayer—has value.
For a pdf including Bibliography and Endnotes see here.
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