Visions of the Future and the Power in Prayer

Sermon Notes:

Prayer and the Principles of an Empowered Life (Daniel 9: 1-19)

1. Prayer is knowing and acknowledging who God is
2. Prayer is knowing our limits and accepting our failure
3. Prayer is yearning for and submitting to God’s plan

Result: Experiencing God’s awesome power

The Answer to Daniel’s Prayer: The Seventy Sevens (Daniel 9:20-27)

Follow-up questions from Sunday:

Icebreaker: What big prayers has God answered in the last year for your life?  Please share one or two.

1. Read Jeremiah 29:10-14. This is the prophecy Daniel discovered in the writings of Jeremiah, dating roughly a century earlier. God expresses a change in His relationship with Israel. What does this tell us about God’s seriousness with regard to sin? What kind of a heart does God want to develop in His children?
2. Read Daniel 9:4-11. Make a list of God’s characteristics, as identified by Daniel and God’s people. How can reflecting on a list like this be helpful in our relationship with God? Why do you think it is difficult for us, especially in today’s world, to take responsibility for our failure?
3. As you look over the list of Israel’s mistakes, check off the ones you’ve made in your own life. How did you feel about your mistakes at the time? How do you feel about them now? What did God teach you?
4. Read Daniel 9:17-19. Daniel is praying for the things that God promised in Jeremiah 29. Why is he praying for things that God already says He intends to do? Jesus does the same thing in Matthew 6:10. What does this say to us about the role of prayer?  How can we apply this principle in our lives?
5. Read Daniel 9:20-23. What does this tell you about God’s opinion of prayer? What do Gabriel’s words reveal about the importance of how we live our lives?
6. Read Daniel 9:26-27. In verse 26, Messiah is “put to death” (NIV). This is an astounding prophecy of the death of Jesus  made hundreds of years before His birth. How does this encourage your faith today?  How should knowing this encourage us to study Daniel’s prophecies deeper as we look to the future?  What do you think is the value in trying to understand them?