Recently I began studying the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. I have studied this book before plenty of times. But at this particular juncture in my life, it has spoken to me more poignantly than ever before.

Today I received a text from a friend asking for prayer just as my day began. Normally, my devotional times are in the morning. Instead, they ended up being during my lunch hour because I wanted to take the prayer request to the Lord as soon as it was made, so as not to allow the days’ tasks to distract me from praying.

Having prayed all I could for the request made, I had this feeling that I had not prayed enough. While I couldn’t think of anything else to add to my prayer, it still felt as if my prayers fell short somehow. I felt very unsettled inside. As if my prayer was ….. un-productive.

Nevertheless, I went about my day. And when lunch time rolled around, I picked up my Bible, complete with highlighter and pen in hand, for the next chapter waiting for me in the book of Daniel. It was Daniel chapter 9, to be exact. And there it was! The sentence jumped straight off of the page!

Daniel 9:23 “The moment you began praying, a command was given……”

In this chapter, Daniel was praying and fasting for the people of God. He was confessing and repenting on their behalf. Gabriel, “someone who looked like a man” as Daniel puts it, (Dan. 8:15-17) re-appears to Daniel with these words:

Daniel 9:23 “…The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.”

And with that, Gabriel delivers a message of insight, wisdom and revelation to Daniel.

One quick little side note here: ….. I find it interesting that Gabriel attends to Daniel when Daniel’s prayers are prayers of repentance and confession. Those kinds of prayers are the ones that come from a place of humility and desperation. But that is another blog in and of itself. I just want to plant the seed of thought, that repentance and confession are a crucial part of some of the deepest prayers you will ever bring before God.

What prayer concerns are on your heart today? Regardless of how big or small your requests are, you can be certain that you are precious to your Heavenly Father. And He wastes no time to begin the process of working on your behalf. Take that to heart today as you pray.

Love & Blessings!
-Cindy Magsig

More Scriptures:
Psalms 138:3 “As soon as I pray, You answer me; You encourage me by giving me strength.” (NLT)

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Never stop praying.” (NLT)