DANIEL 9:19 (LORD!) – Part 2

Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." Daniel 9:19
This month, it seems that since we are praying for a more fervor prayer life, the devil has been working overtime at trying to derail my relationship with my Lord.  He is trying to do the derailing by trying to discourage me or make me believe that my Lord is not listening.   He is filling my mind with doubts. Basically, telling me lies.
Well, guess what? Our Lord is more powerful, and mightier, and stronger, and… so many other words to use for Him.  He’s got us.  The Lord Most High has us covered in His glory.
With the Lord’s help, I am choosing to believe the truth and not give in to the lies or doubts.  My prayer life has become more concentrated this month, and it has been a very conscience effort on my part.  Yes, my Lord is more powerful than any plan or thought or lie or doubt that the devil may have, but we must do our part and look to the Lord, the Truth.
Each time I am having a rough patch and the doubts set in, I chose to rely on the Lord.  When I feel lost and not sure what to do, I turn to my Lord for guidance.  When my patience is almost at an end, the Lord helps to still my soul.  When the doubts and lies seem to fill my head, I cry out to the Lord.
He always listens and answers me.  He guides me. It might not be the answer or the timing that I am looking for, but there is a stillness that I have found in Him.  With that stillness, I can hear Him.  He calms me. He tells me the truth.  He renews my parched soul.
“Be Still and Know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10
It was morning, and I was lamenting about not having the fulfillment of a promise in the timing that I thought that it should be.  I admit I was not very happy with the Lord, and I was letting Him know.  The conversation was that I felt that He was playing with my heart and my patience was running out. 
I am not saying this is the correct way to have a discussion with God, but thankfully God knows me and can handle whatever I say to Him.  He listens to my rantings, and then when I am done ranting, He calmly gives me the answer, the peace that He knows I need.
On the way to work that day, I called a prayer warrior on the phone to talk through my lamenting and frustrations.  She did not answer, which is how the Lord wanted it.  I talked with the Lord again, and when I got to work my daily thought for the day in my e-mail was about God’s Stillness and having the stillness in the Lord.  Every thought that I was thinking was written in the e-mail.
The Lord wants me to rely on Him for the answers.  Yes, we can share with others, but in this case the Lord wanted me to rely on Him.  He is the author of my journey and wants to share in the journey with me. 
We each can rely on the Lord.  He does listen.  He does forgive.  He does hear and act. 
Dear Lord,
I praise Your name. You do listen, even when we are ranting.  You do forgive and cover us with Your grace and mercy.  You do hear and act, even if it is not in our way or timing.  Your way and timing are best. You are our Lord.  Continue to give each of us a zest for you. You are the Author, and You have this journey for each of us that You want to walk with us.  May our prayers be in You.  May our hearts be open to Your leading.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen


Laura Maxson

DANIEL 9:19 (LORD!)

Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." Daniel 9:19
When we were praying about what we should focus on this month, nothing was coming to our minds.  It was May already, and still nothing.  We prayed that God would show us the verse He wanted to be our focus this month.  A verse that would help to define our month. 
It was May 4, National Day of Prayer.  I was driving home from work, and I was praying for the verse. I was listening to the radio, and the DJ said, “This is the verse for today, Daniel 9:19.”  As she was reading the verse, it confirmed that this is what I needed to focus on this month.  It was an answer to prayer. 
I looked up the verse in the Bible Commentary to get to know more about what the author was thinking when he wrote the verse. The commentary mentioned that there was a fervor in the author’s prayer as he was praying. “Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act!” If I look at the verse again with the emotion of fervor in mind, this verse takes on a new meaning.
The definition of fervor is “intense and passionate feeling.”  Some synonyms that are included are: zeal; excitement; animation; eagerness; vigor; fire; spirit; zest.  Wow, that is awe-inspiring!  That is what I want in my prayer life.
My prayer this month is that my praying, and yours, is done with fervor.  “Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act!”  I pray that my prayer is done with intense and passionate feelings.  I want to have a vigor and a zest for prayer, and when I pray I want to have a fire inside of me.
What does this verse mean for me and to me? Well, for starters, what a difference it would make in my life if I had as much fire for prayer, that I do with other things I feel passionate about.  It has the potential to continue to change me and my life. 
I don’t want to pray because I feel like I “have to.”  I want my prayer to be because I need to.  Prayer needs to be like air and water for me.  I can’t live without it.  Without air and water, we die.  That is what happens if we are without God.
It doesn’t matter if the prayer is something small or very large, God wants to hear it all.  I will breath and pray with new fervor. I know that God sent this verse to play on the radio at the time that I needed. 
I want a zest in my prayer life. I want a zest in my life for God.  How full will my life be, if I start with a zest for my prayer life?  I can only imagine that God will spill over into every area of my life, every part of me.  If I give Him all of me, then He will do what He needs to do in all.
There are three of us in a Bible study, and this week we have been texting each other early in the morning “Good morning, it is Jesus time.”  It is exciting to know that there are two other people who are praying and having Jesus time at the same time I am.  It is contagious, in a good way.
My prayer for each of you reading this is that you pray with fervor.  Don’t make prayer something that you have to do, but pray with a zest that will fill each of you.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will fill each of you and that you may know and see the wonder and power of God.
Dear Lord,
I pray to you.  Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act!  You are our Lord.  Give each of us a new zest for You.   I pray that each person reading this will start or continue this amazing journey that You have each of us on.  You are our light, and You want this personal relationship with us, an intense and passionate relationship with You.  I pray that each person will have a fervor for You.

In Jesus’ Name - Amen
~ Laura Maxson

May Prayer Topic: Daniel 9:19


A Prayer by Daniel

"Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” 
Daniel 9:19