HOW CAN I LEARN TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY? (DAN. 9:2 )

      DANIEL DEMONSTRATES  HOW TO PRAY WITH BOTH POWER AND CONFIDENCE. WHEN HE DISCOVERED IN THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH THAT THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY WOULD LAST SEVENTY YEARS (DAN. 9:2), HE FELL TO HIS KNEES AND BEGAN INTERCEDING FOR HIS PEOPLE (DAN. 9:4-19).

      IN DANIEL 9, WE SEE A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT PRAYER SHOULD BE. ITS FOCUS IS ON ALMIGHTY GOD AND HIS CHARACTER. IT INCLUDES SINCERE CONFESSION, UNSELFISHNESS, AND DEPENDENCE ON THE WORD OF GOD.

      SUCH PRAYER HAS GREAT POWER. IN DANIEL'S CASE,GOD SENT THE ANGEL GABRIEL WITH  HIS ANSWER EVEN BEFORE THE   PROPHET HAD COMPLETED HIS SUPPLICATION.

TO FIND GOD DURING YOUR OWN HARDSHIP, GO TO PORTAL DANIEL  KNEW BEST.  GO TO YOUR KNEES. MODEL YOUR PRAYER AFTER DANIEL'S, AND  MODEL YOUR LIFE AFTER DANIEL 11:32: "THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR GOD SHALL BE STRONG, AND CARRY OUR EXPLOITS."

THE BIBLE TELLS US , "THE EFFECTIVE, FERVENT PRAYER A RIGHTEOUS MAN  AVAILS MUCH" (JAMES 5: 16). EFFECTIVE-THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT OUR PRAYERS TO BE, ESPECIALLY IN A CRISIS.

WHEN WE MEET GOD'S REQUIREMENTS, WE CAN FEEL CONFIDENT  THAT HE WILL ACT IN THE SITUATION AS A RESULT OF OUR EARNEST PRAYERS. WHAT ARE THOSE REQUIREMENTS?

REQUIREMENT 1: FERVENT PRAYER.
FERVENT PRAYERS ARE FILLED WITH PASSION AND A STRONG SENSE OF PERSONAL HELPLESSNESS.THEY ALSO HAVE A NARROW FOCUS  ON SOME SPECIFIC DIFFICULTY. SCRIPTURE CALLS THIS TYPE OF PRAYER "LABORING FERVENTLY" (COL. 4:12)

REQUIREMENT 2: RIGHTEOUSNESS
AT SALVATION, WE BECOME RIGHTLY RELATED TO GOD  AS HIS CHILDREN. HE PERMANENTLY SEALS US WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND DECLARES US RIGHTEOUS FOREVER  BECAUSE OF OUR POSITION IN JESUS CHRIST. BUT THE BIBLE ALSO USES THE WORD "RIGHTEOUS" TO DESCRIBE A BELIEVERS CONDUCT. THIS MEANS THAT TO BE CALLED A "RIGHTEOUS PERSON," WE MUST BE FOUND IN CHRIST (PHIL. 3:9) AND MAKE IT A HABIT TO OBEY GOD (EPH. 4:1; COL. 1:10). IF WE WILLINGLY AND KNOWINGLY ENGAGE IN SIN, THEN WE DO NOT LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY AND OUR PRAYERS WILL LACK POWER.