#S074 - All You Had
To Do Was Ask (Part 1)
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Remain standing as
we go to the book of
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Daniel Chapter nine, the
book of Daniel Chapter nine.
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And we'll begin
together adverse number one,
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the book of Daniel Chapter
nine and verse number one.
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And just for the sake of some
context, for there is no miracle
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there is no
obvious happy ending.
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But there are some
things that the Lord wants us
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to see in our texts today.
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Here we find
Daniel making intercession
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on behalf of the people of God
as they are in the 69th year.
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What year?
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69th year of their 70
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years of prophesied
exile in the land of the child.
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And Daniel is
making a specific petition
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before the Lord, Daniel,
chapter nine and verse one.
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When you get there,
you say, Pastor, I'm there.
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Amen. The Bible says
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in the first year of Darius,
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the son of a Hazaras, of
the lineage of the Medes,
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who was made king over
the realm of the child's
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and the first year of his
reign, I Daniel understood
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by the books the
number of the years
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specified by
the Word of the Lord
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through Jeremiah the
Prophet, that he would
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accomplish 70 years in
the desolation of Jerusalem.
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Then I set my what
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I set my face to the Lord
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God to make request by prayer
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and supplication with
fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
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And I prayed to the Lord,
my God, and make confession
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and said, Oh
Lord, great and awesome.
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God, who keeps His
covenant and mercy with those
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who love him and with
those who keep his commandments.
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We have what
sinned and committed, what
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we have done
wickedly and rebelled.
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Even by departing from your
precepts and your judgments.
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Neither have
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we heeded your servants,
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the prophets who spoke
in your name to our kings
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and our princes to our fathers
and all the people of the land.
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Oh, Lord,
righteousness belongs to you,
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but to us, shame
of face, as it is
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this day, to the men of Judah,
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
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and all Israel,
those near and far off,
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and all the countries to
which you have driven them
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because of the unfaithfulness
which they have committed
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against you.
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Oh Lord, to us belongs shame.
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A face to our kings,
our princes, our fathers,
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because we have sinned
against you, to the Lord,
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our God belong
mercy and forgiveness.
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Though we have
rebelled against Him,
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we have not obey
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the voice of the Lord,
our God to walk in His laws
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which He has set before us
by his servants, the prophets.
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Yes, all Israel has transgressed
your law and has departed
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so as not to obey your voice.
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Therefore, the curse
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and the oath
written in the law of Moses,
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the servant of God,
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have been poured out upon us
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because we have
sinned against Him.
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And He has confirmed his words,
which he has spoke against us,
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against our judges who
judge us by bringing upon us
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great disaster for
under the whole heavens.
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Such has never been done as
what has been done to Jerusalem.
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And notice the why
of all of these things
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as it is written
in the law of Moses,
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that this
disaster has come upon us,
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yet we have not made our
prayer before the Lord, our God,
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that we might
return from our iniquities
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and understand Your truth.
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Therefore, the Lord
has kept the disaster
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in the jail kits at church.
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Therefore, the Lord has
kept the disease letter in mind.
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The Word says and
brought it upon us for the Lord.
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Our God is righteous in all
the works which He has done,
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though we have
not obeyed his voice.
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And now, oh Lord God,
who brought your people
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out of the land of
Egypt with a mighty hand
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and made
yourself a name as it is?
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This day we have sinned
and we have done wickedly
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all Lord, according to all
your righteousness, I pray,
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let your anger and your fury
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be turned away from
your city, Jerusalem,
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your holy mountain, for
our sins and for the iniquities
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of our fathers.
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Jerusalem and your
people are a reproach
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to all those around us now.
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Therefore, our
God hear the prayer
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of your servants
and supplication,
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and for the Lord's
sake, cause your face
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to shine on your
sanctuary, which is desolate.
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Oh, my God.
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Incline your ear and
hear open your eyes and
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see the desolation and the city
which is called by your name.
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For we do not
present our supplication
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before you because
of our righteous deeds,
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but because of your great
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what your great mercies
again and your hearing verse 13,
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as it is written
in the law of Moses,
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all this
disaster has come upon us.
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Yet we have
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not made our prayer before.
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The Lord, our
God, that we might turn
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from our iniquities and
understand your truth today.
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Saints,
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I just want to talk for a
little while under the subject.
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All you had to do was ask.
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All you had to do was ask.
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Let's pray together. Father.
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In this little while,
would you please say much?
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What?
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I'm praying that you
would make some things
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very clear in the
hearing of your people.
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And, Lord, I'm praying
that as the word is declared,
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that faith would be
made, would be multiplied
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exponentially in
the hearing of the Word.
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And so Lord would
you allow me permission
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to join my human weakness
to your divine strength?
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Hide me in the
shadows of the cross
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that at the end of this service
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today, Jesus
alone might be seen,
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that Christ
alone would be heard,
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and at the end of our time
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together, let
Jesus alone be praised.
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Bless us.
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To this end, we ask in
the wonderful name of Jesus,
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our Lord, let those who
believe say together, amen.
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And they met.
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You may be seated in the
house of the Lord today, again
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talking to you
under the subject.
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All you had to do was ask.
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All we had to do was ask
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somebody is going to be a
preacher when they grow up.
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Boy, that's some
good lungs right there.
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Oh, what peace we often forfeit.
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Oh, what needless pains we bear.
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All because we do not carry
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everything to God in prayer
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and embedded
within that sacred hymn
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is the truth about mankind's
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reluctance toward
prayer, full living,
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the idea of friends is
that we suffer needlessly,
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we fail needlessly,
we stress needlessly
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because we are carrying cares
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that are God's
responsibility to carry.
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And there is a bend
towards self-sufficiency
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that keeps us trying
to manage our own concerns
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until it becomes clear
that we cannot handle them.
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And what makes it
lamentable, friends, is that God
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has not made prayer
complicated or difficult.
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How many of us know
that we can pray at any time?
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You can pray at any place,
you can pray about anything.
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And the promise is that his
ear is not too dull to hear us
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when we pray.
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In fact, friends, the
word says that you have not
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because you are not.
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But Jesus says ask
and it shall be given seek
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and it shall be found not,
and it shall be opened unto you
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and Hebrews.
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The word says, Let us come
boldly to the throne of grace,
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that we might obtain mercy and
find help in our time of need.
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And the thing I need
somebody to get is that Jesus
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never rebukes us for
asking too much or too often.
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The only rebuke the Scripture
gives is that we don't ask,
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or when we do, we ask too small.
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And the problem with
some is that we've made prayer
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merit based so
that we form the belief
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that you've got to be
good or on a certain level
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morally in order to
receive something from God.
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But how many of us know
that if you had to be perfect
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in order to
receive something from God,
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the only one that would
ever be blessed was Jesus.
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Are you hearing me today?
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In other words, I
need somebody to know
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that prayer is not
for perfect people.
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Prayer is for imperfect sinners
who need the Lord and the Word
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for somebody today is that you
don't have to get right to pray.
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You don't have to
be perfect to pray.
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You don't have to be
ideal to get something from God.
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All you've got to do is
ask, Are you all with me today?
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In fact, let me say it this way.
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I remember when my
youngest son was a little bit
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younger upstairs
there is a sectional
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and behind the sectional
is a very small crevice
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where he would like to
crawl behind the couch and play.
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And we would
often want him, son.
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The older and bigger
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you get, the smaller that
crevice is going to become,
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and eventually you're
going to get stuck there.
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And one day he crawls
behind the couch and he falls
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just the wrong way,
where his head and hands
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are pinned in such a
way that he cannot get out.
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And after a while,
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I get nervous because
the house is too quiet.
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Anybody know
that? Silence in a kid.
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Your house mean
something devilish is going on.
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And admittedly, after a
while I hear squirming behind
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the couch.
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I hear a cry behind the crowds.
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I hear groans behind the couch.
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But he never cries
and asks me for help.
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And it's amazing.
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I'm sitting there
waiting on him to ask, but
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he's trying so hard
to get out on his own.
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And eventually I
go behind the couch
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and I pull him from behind
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and I say, Son, why
didn't you ask for help?
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And he says,
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The reason I didn't ask
that is because I disobeyed.
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It was because I was wrong
that I didn't ask for help.
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And I had to let him know
that if I'm willing to help you
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when you did not
ask, don't you know
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your daddy is willing to help
if you ask for his assistance
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and see there are some of
us that won't ask for help
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because our
disobedience put us in trouble.
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But the good news
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is that we serve a
perfect and merciful father.
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And the truth is that
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if God was good when
you did not ask, won't
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God be even more faithful
if you ask for God to show up?
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And I need somebody
to be clear that you are
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simply one prayer
away from seeing God
00:12:15.26\00:12:19.33
move your one petition
away from seeing things change.
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You don't need to necessarily
make sure that everything
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is perfect in your world.
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Somebody needs to know.
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All you've got to do
is ask it of the Lord.
00:12:30.95\00:12:34.48
And so today I want
us to go back quickly
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to Daniel Chapter
nine, as we unpack
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a few spiritual truths
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that I believe will help
encourage your souls today.
00:12:42.32\00:12:45.99
Now, as you look at
Daniel Chapter nine,
00:12:46.03\00:12:48.40
I need you to get that.
00:12:48.96\00:12:50.00
This is actually one of
the more interesting prayers
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in the entirety
of the Scripture.
00:12:53.47\00:12:55.94
For in this
prayer, we actually find
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some of the tools for
an abundant prayer life.
00:12:59.64\00:13:02.24
And yet this prayer is also an
indict met on fallen humanity.
00:13:03.51\00:13:08.42
Now, to be clear, Saints,
00:13:09.05\00:13:10.55
this is not some
cursory or rehearsed prayer.
00:13:10.59\00:13:14.16
This prayer is fueled by a
soul anguish that causes him
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to make his petitions
known before the Lord.
00:13:19.76\00:13:23.53
Understand friends,
that this is a prayer
00:13:24.50\00:13:27.17
of desperation that comes
from the mouth of the Prophet.
00:13:27.20\00:13:31.07
If we were to look
into Daniel's bedchamber,
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you would notice
that his robe fits loosely
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from extended
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periods of fasting, from
food, his lips are cracked
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and foam gathers in the corner
of his mouth because he's fasted
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from long times, from
drink all water in the room.
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The smell of smoke is
there from the pot of ashes
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that sit at his feet
as sackcloth is draped
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across his shoulders and tears
fall from the prophet's face
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as he reconciles his
prophecies, he can understand
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with those that
he cannot comprehend.
00:14:07.94\00:14:10.08
You see, in Jeremiah 25,
the prophet have declared
00:14:11.18\00:14:14.65
that the people of
God would be dispersed
00:14:15.58\00:14:17.45
for 70 years of exile, beginning
with their time in Babylon.
00:14:18.65\00:14:22.92
But they formed a faulty
idea that once Babylon fell,
00:14:24.09\00:14:28.63
the exile would
come to a conclusion.
00:14:29.53\00:14:31.67
And now Babylon is
no longer in power.
00:14:32.57\00:14:34.94
The Medes and the
Persians are in control,
00:14:35.84\00:14:38.07
and yet the people of
God are still in exile.
00:14:39.11\00:14:41.91
And there is a faulty
notion that somehow God
00:14:42.91\00:14:45.78
has forgotten them.
00:14:45.81\00:14:47.45
And so the Prophet now
appeals to God for prayer
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and for direction and clarity
on the path going forward
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and understand friends.
00:14:57.19\00:14:58.33
The things that this text
teaches us is the constancy
00:14:58.36\00:15:02.73
of the goodness of God.
00:15:03.30\00:15:04.13
Are you with me
today? Church Is it?
00:15:04.17\00:15:06.20
The first thing this teaches
00:15:06.23\00:15:07.70
is that the one
constant in your life is God.
00:15:07.74\00:15:11.64
You see, too often.
00:15:12.61\00:15:13.88
Church We preach
Daniel for Youth Days
00:15:13.91\00:15:18.08
because in his youth
Daniel had strong character
00:15:19.25\00:15:22.95
and he took great stands
for his faith in Jesus Christ.
00:15:24.12\00:15:26.79
But by the time you
get to Daniel Chapter nine,
00:15:27.82\00:15:30.36
he has been in exile
for about 69 years and he is
00:15:31.43\00:15:35.06
perhaps in his mid eighties
as he makes this petition.
00:15:35.10\00:15:39.00
Now, remember, he
was taken as a teenager
00:15:39.03\00:15:42.74
and raised in a land
that was not his own.
00:15:43.71\00:15:46.24
And the thing I need
somebody to get about Daniel
00:15:47.31\00:15:49.98
is that his life
is filled with trauma.
00:15:50.88\00:15:53.11
It's filled with
upheaval, it's filled with
00:15:53.15\00:15:56.32
volatility, it's
filled with uncertainty.
00:15:56.35\00:15:59.89
In fact, the most
consistent thing in
00:16:00.82\00:16:02.99
his life is the inconsistency
of his circumstance.
00:16:03.02\00:16:07.20
In fact, friends, think
back with me, if you will.
00:16:08.20\00:16:10.40
He is raised by Hebrew parents,
yet he is mentored by the pagan
00:16:11.67\00:16:15.94
free elites of
Babylon and meet Persia.
00:16:15.97\00:16:19.34
If you recall,
00:16:19.77\00:16:20.98
when he first came to Babylon,
he serves under Nebuchadnezzar.
00:16:21.01\00:16:25.15
After Nebuchadnezzar
there is Belshazzar.
00:16:26.08\00:16:28.08
After him it is
Dariusz and later
00:16:28.85\00:16:30.92
he will serve at the
pleasure of King Cyrus
00:16:30.95\00:16:33.89
and understand
church that every time
00:16:34.79\00:16:36.93
administration changes,
guess what his coworkers change?
00:16:36.96\00:16:41.43
Guess what?
00:16:41.83\00:16:42.63
His friends
change his assignment
00:16:42.66\00:16:45.40
change the times
and the law change.
00:16:45.43\00:16:48.44
And so his life is
filled with nothing but change
00:16:49.54\00:16:52.01
as he is served at the pleasure
of multiple different kings.
00:16:53.21\00:16:55.88
Understand the
languages have changed,
00:16:56.78\00:16:58.41
the systems of worship
00:16:58.98\00:17:00.25
have changed, the consequences
for righteousness have changed.
00:17:00.28\00:17:04.15
Everything around him is
in a state of constant flux,
00:17:05.25\00:17:08.42
and the only thing that has
been the same is the goodness
00:17:09.56\00:17:12.63
of God in his life.
00:17:12.66\00:17:14.36
And I think this is
important for one reason today.
00:17:15.43\00:17:18.47
CHURCH Because the truth is
that if we live long enough,
00:17:18.50\00:17:24.21
everything in our eco
system is going to change.
00:17:25.27\00:17:29.31
Am I preaching anybody today?
00:17:29.34\00:17:31.18
Am I telling the truth
that your best friend at 25
00:17:31.21\00:17:35.02
is not always
your best friend at 75?
00:17:35.88\00:17:38.62
In other words, the
job you worked at 27
00:17:39.49\00:17:42.09
might not be the job
you retired from at 62.
00:17:43.02\00:17:45.89
The person you married at
25 because of death and divorce
00:17:47.10\00:17:50.47
might not be the same
person you're married to at 70.
00:17:51.60\00:17:54.27
The relationship
00:17:54.70\00:17:55.64
you had with your
kids when they were small
00:17:55.67\00:17:57.77
might not
00:17:58.14\00:17:59.27
be the same relationship
you have with them as adults.
00:17:59.31\00:18:01.74
The health that
you had ten years ago
00:18:02.61\00:18:04.35
might not be the health
that you have right now.
00:18:05.35\00:18:07.35
And the word to somebody today
is that if you live long enough,
00:18:08.58\00:18:11.79
everything around
you is going to shift.
00:18:12.72\00:18:14.76
Everything around
you is going to change.
00:18:15.66\00:18:17.69
Everything around you
is going to be amended.
00:18:18.73\00:18:21.16
But the one
thing you can count on
00:18:21.20\00:18:23.37
is that when things
are around, you change.
00:18:24.30\00:18:26.00
The goodness of
God remains the same.
00:18:26.90\00:18:28.80
In other words,
folks, I need to be clear
00:18:29.74\00:18:31.67
that people are
going to walk in your life
00:18:32.64\00:18:33.91
and then guess what?
00:18:34.44\00:18:35.34
Some are going to
walk out of your life.
00:18:35.38\00:18:37.11
There are going to be
some that love you today
00:18:38.15\00:18:39.78
and then they're going
to despise you on tomorrow.
00:18:40.88\00:18:42.72
They're going to be
times where the health is good
00:18:43.82\00:18:45.42
and then they're going to be
00:18:46.09\00:18:46.99
times where
affliction touches your soul.
00:18:47.02\00:18:49.09
There are going to be days
where there is a Biden in office
00:18:50.26\00:18:52.19
and there may come a day
when a Trump is in office.
00:18:53.29\00:18:55.23
There are some days where things
are up and things are down.
00:18:56.43\00:18:59.63
But the thing that
somebody needs to know
00:19:00.67\00:19:02.07
is that when things
are around, you shift.
00:19:02.97\00:19:04.77
You've got to
know who to hold on to.
00:19:05.64\00:19:07.58
In other words,
you've got to have something
00:19:08.58\00:19:10.71
or someone in your
life that does not change,
00:19:11.68\00:19:14.42
that brings stability
and a world of instability.
00:19:15.52\00:19:18.39
And I present anybody today
00:19:18.42\00:19:20.22
and other words, that's why
the hymn writer said on Christ
00:19:20.26\00:19:23.83
the solid rock I stand,
all of the ground is sinking.
00:19:24.99\00:19:28.70
Same it is why the Bible
says that God is our refuge
00:19:28.73\00:19:33.37
and our strength,
00:19:33.40\00:19:34.34
our very present help
in the time of trouble.
00:19:34.37\00:19:37.07
It is why, David says,
even when Mother and father
00:19:38.17\00:19:40.44
forsake me, the
Lord is going to take me.
00:19:40.48\00:19:43.31
And the Bible says
the grass is gone, whether
00:19:43.35\00:19:46.48
the flower is going to fade,
00:19:47.15\00:19:48.48
but the Word of the Lord
is going to endure forever.
00:19:48.52\00:19:52.49
And what I'm saying
00:19:53.02\00:19:54.06
to somebody today, in the
midst of a changing world,
00:19:54.09\00:19:57.46
you've got to have your
life rooted in the constancy of
00:19:58.63\00:20:01.43
God's love,
00:20:01.46\00:20:02.60
because you've
00:20:03.67\00:20:04.33
got to kind of have a foundation
00:20:04.37\00:20:07.37
that does not change
when circumstances do.
00:20:08.34\00:20:10.44
Are you with me? In
fact, let me say it this way.
00:20:10.47\00:20:13.01
I remember when I was
past three in Mississippi,
00:20:14.08\00:20:15.21
we had tornadoes
come through our town
00:20:16.11\00:20:17.55
and leveled downtown and
a series of neighborhoods.
00:20:18.65\00:20:20.82
And I remember
00:20:21.25\00:20:21.85
there was this one brother
00:20:21.88\00:20:22.85
who everything in
his house was destroyed,
00:20:22.88\00:20:25.22
the roof was blown away,
the walls were blown away.
00:20:26.32\00:20:29.16
The piping and
fixtures were blown away.
00:20:30.03\00:20:31.83
The only thing that was
left was the foundation.
00:20:32.89\00:20:35.23
And the crazy thing was that
00:20:35.90\00:20:37.37
when he got ready to rebuild,
I noticed that they didn't
00:20:37.40\00:20:41.20
dig up the foundation
and poured down a new one
00:20:41.24\00:20:44.94
because he was
building the same type of house,
00:20:45.94\00:20:47.98
just what they built
on the same foundation.
00:20:48.91\00:20:51.41
And so I asked
them, are they not
00:20:52.21\00:20:53.35
going to change the foundation?
00:20:53.38\00:20:55.15
He and he instructed me on
something I'll never forget.
00:20:55.18\00:20:57.69
He says, Guess what?
00:20:58.22\00:20:59.42
The storm was able to take away
everything but the foundation.
00:20:59.45\00:21:03.76
And he says, If you
got a good foundation,
00:21:04.73\00:21:07.30
everything else can be
rebuilt on the same foundation
00:21:08.43\00:21:12.53
that will survive the storm.
00:21:13.20\00:21:15.27
And what I'm saying to
00:21:15.84\00:21:16.91
somebody today is that
you've got to have a foundation
00:21:16.94\00:21:19.74
and it's got to be in Jesus,
00:21:20.41\00:21:22.61
because jobs can be taken
away, cars can be repossessed,
00:21:23.75\00:21:27.78
friends will end your
life, health can change,
00:21:28.82\00:21:31.65
money can fly away,
but it can all be rebuilt
00:21:32.69\00:21:35.26
on the foundation that
is the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:21:36.32\00:21:39.16
Can we praise him that the
stone that the builders rejected
00:21:40.33\00:21:44.20
has become our
chief cornerstone?
00:21:45.37\00:21:47.84
Are y'all with me today?
00:21:47.87\00:21:49.60
And so so the Bible
says here in Daniel,
00:21:49.64\00:21:51.67
chapter nine and verse three,
00:21:52.37\00:21:53.74
I'm going to unpack
some things together.
00:21:53.78\00:21:55.94
The Bible says in Daniel
nine, in verse three, says, Then
00:21:55.98\00:21:58.45
I set my face
00:21:58.88\00:22:01.42
toward the Lord God to
make requests by prayer
00:22:02.45\00:22:05.62
and supplication with
fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
00:22:06.79\00:22:11.53
The Bible declares,
All right, friends of mine.
00:22:11.56\00:22:14.00
The second thing
this thing teaches us
00:22:14.03\00:22:16.00
is that if you're going to pray,
00:22:16.03\00:22:17.47
you've got to have a
determination to pray.
00:22:17.50\00:22:20.70
Okay. Are you still with me?
00:22:22.14\00:22:23.10
Church No, no, no.
00:22:23.14\00:22:24.64
You've got to have a
determination to pray and see.
00:22:24.67\00:22:29.71
One of the things that Daniel
shows us is that a strong prayer
00:22:29.74\00:22:34.25
life is never contingent
upon ideal circumstances.
00:22:34.28\00:22:39.29
See? See, I need you to
know that you're not growing.
00:22:40.36\00:22:43.22
If you only pray
when things are ideal,
00:22:44.13\00:22:46.63
you're not reaching maturity
until you are as consistent
00:22:47.83\00:22:50.90
in calling upon
the name of the Lord.
00:22:51.77\00:22:53.64
When circumstances are less
than favorable on your behalf.
00:22:54.87\00:22:57.97
And see, why am I saying this?
00:22:58.67\00:23:00.11
Because I need you to
know that Daniel in many ways
00:23:00.14\00:23:02.58
personifies what it means
to have a strong prayer life,
00:23:03.78\00:23:05.91
but nothing in his
situation is ideal.
00:23:06.82\00:23:09.22
So you've got to realize
00:23:09.78\00:23:11.02
that when Daniel walks from his
place of work to the bedchamber
00:23:11.05\00:23:14.62
where he lives, he
walks by statues to the sun.
00:23:14.66\00:23:18.39
God, Horus, the nano type
that has been raised up there
00:23:18.43\00:23:22.40
in the land of the
Medes and Persians.
00:23:23.23\00:23:25.27
When he walks through the
corridors, he walks by fountains
00:23:26.43\00:23:29.20
that are erected in the image
of the moon goddess Ishtar.
00:23:30.44\00:23:33.61
When he goes to his place of
rest, he walks through vineyards
00:23:34.81\00:23:37.65
and courtyards erected
in the image of the male
00:23:38.61\00:23:41.45
Persian God
Marduk, and understand
00:23:41.48\00:23:44.55
that when Daniel
Close his his eyes to pray,
00:23:44.59\00:23:47.86
he's got to fight
00:23:48.36\00:23:49.49
through the sounds of
revelry and partying next door.
00:23:49.52\00:23:52.73
He's literally got to
pray through the moans of orgy
00:23:53.86\00:23:56.50
that take place
down the corridor.
00:23:57.33\00:23:58.97
And it is in this environment
that Daniel begins his prayer
00:24:00.30\00:24:04.47
with Thanksgiving and
reverence and praise to God.
00:24:05.51\00:24:08.81
And the reason this is epic
is that he can begin his time
00:24:10.05\00:24:13.25
of praise and a situation
that's less than perfect.
00:24:13.28\00:24:17.72
And can I suggest to somebody
today that you don't need
00:24:18.92\00:24:21.72
perfect
circumstances to praise God?
00:24:21.76\00:24:25.53
You've just got to know
that you serve a perfect God
00:24:25.56\00:24:28.63
that is greater than any
circumstance that you face.
00:24:29.70\00:24:32.13
It's easy.
00:24:32.50\00:24:33.03
I need somebody to know
00:24:33.07\00:24:34.57
that too often when we
say the Lord has been good
00:24:34.60\00:24:38.04
to me, what we're talking
about are the circumstances that
00:24:39.21\00:24:41.91
we inhabit.
00:24:41.94\00:24:43.08
But if your praise is always
based upon a circumstance,
00:24:43.11\00:24:47.48
guess what?
00:24:47.88\00:24:48.68
Your appraisal
of God will change
00:24:48.72\00:24:51.12
based upon the predicament
that you are in and see.
00:24:52.22\00:24:54.92
And that's what I
love what David says.
00:24:54.96\00:24:57.06
And Psalm 34, he says, I'm
going to bless the Lord at all
00:24:57.09\00:25:00.90
times, and his phrase shall
continually be in my mouth.
00:25:00.93\00:25:04.40
It is why Paul cautions
us to rejoice in the Lord.
00:25:05.50\00:25:08.50
Always and again I say, rejoice.
00:25:08.54\00:25:12.14
It is what the Bible says,
that from the rising of the sun
00:25:13.31\00:25:15.84
to the going down of the
saying that the name of the Lord
00:25:17.01\00:25:19.61
is to be praised.
00:25:19.65\00:25:21.05
And can I suggest, friends,
that we've got to get to a place
00:25:21.08\00:25:24.05
where we recognize that
praise is not a feeling,
00:25:25.12\00:25:27.32
praise is a discipline.
00:25:28.49\00:25:30.86
Praise is my
awareness that no matter
00:25:30.89\00:25:33.83
what's going
on, God is faithful.
00:25:33.86\00:25:36.63
And it is a recognition
that even when my circumstances
00:25:37.77\00:25:40.87
are bad, my God
is still good. Why?
00:25:40.90\00:25:44.67
Because all things work together
00:25:44.71\00:25:47.68
for good to them who love God
00:25:48.48\00:25:50.55
and are called
according to His purposes.
00:25:51.48\00:25:53.48
So I need to get
friends that this is not
00:25:54.52\00:25:56.99
the ideal circumstance
under which to pray.
00:25:57.02\00:26:00.56
But one of the things I
need somebody to be clear on
00:26:01.69\00:26:03.32
is that your
prayer life can never be
00:26:04.23\00:26:05.29
driven by circumstance
or deterred by circumstance.
00:26:05.33\00:26:08.60
You've got to be fueled
by a burden for connection.
00:26:09.73\00:26:13.87
Are you with me today?
00:26:14.57\00:26:15.97
You got to be fueled
by a burden for connection
00:26:16.00\00:26:19.11
that is greater
00:26:19.54\00:26:20.68
than any circumstance that
you might face in your life.
00:26:20.71\00:26:23.81
And so I understand that
when Daniel prays, it's noisy.
00:26:24.98\00:26:26.88
When he prays,
there are distractions.
00:26:26.92\00:26:29.05
When he prays, they
persecute him because he prays.
00:26:29.08\00:26:32.15
They're antagonistic
00:26:32.19\00:26:33.59
toward his open prayer
life and dependance upon God.
00:26:33.62\00:26:36.99
And the reason that
Daniel prays despite
00:26:37.86\00:26:40.10
his circumstances is
that Daniel understands
00:26:40.13\00:26:43.60
that if prayer wasn't powerful,
it wouldn't be protested.
00:26:44.77\00:26:47.87
Let me say it again.
00:26:49.94\00:26:51.51
See, a prayer wasn't powerful.
00:26:51.54\00:26:54.11
Guess what?
00:26:54.51\00:26:55.38
Your prayer life
wouldn't be protested.
00:26:55.41\00:26:57.38
Can anybody
testify that whenever
00:26:58.21\00:27:00.68
you have the mind of
pray, all of a sudden
00:27:00.72\00:27:03.72
all kind of stuff start
popping off in your life.
00:27:03.75\00:27:06.49
I whenever you get ready
to pray all of a sudden sleep
00:27:07.59\00:27:10.49
comes upon you.
00:27:10.53\00:27:12.09
When it's time to pray,
the phone starts ringing.
00:27:12.13\00:27:15.03
When, when it's time to pray.
00:27:15.06\00:27:16.56
Somebody happens to stop
by When it's time to pray.
00:27:16.60\00:27:19.87
Not for chaos
and start going off
00:27:19.90\00:27:21.90
when it's time to pray
All types of chaos happens.
00:27:21.94\00:27:25.31
Kids start knocking on the door.
00:27:25.34\00:27:27.08
Your spouse starts acting
like they ain't got no sense.
00:27:27.11\00:27:29.74
Your coworkers start acting
funny, the roof starts leaking,
00:27:30.95\00:27:33.42
the hot water heater goes out,
00:27:34.12\00:27:35.28
the car starts
breaking down. Why?
00:27:35.32\00:27:37.52
Because the
prayer wasn't powerful.
00:27:37.55\00:27:40.12
It wouldn't be protested.
00:27:40.16\00:27:42.36
Thank you for joining
us for The Breath of Life
00:27:42.39\00:27:45.16
Television Ministries broadcast
with Pastor Debleaire Snell.
00:27:45.19\00:27:49.30
We hope and pray
that you have been blessed
00:27:49.33\00:27:52.20
by the seventh
message in the sermon series.
00:27:52.23\00:27:55.30
ExcuseLess.
00:27:55.34\00:27:56.87
Join us next week for
part two of the message.
00:27:56.91\00:27:59.91
“All You Had To
Do Was Ask” You don't
00:28:00.94\00:28:03.38
want to miss it.
00:28:03.41\00:28:18.43