
(from Prayer in the Hebrew Bible)
I have not been blogging here of late. I don’t blog about myself. However, I suppose I owe my friends online a brief explanation. My lady is in the hospital.
So, what is this post about? Prayer. I believe in prayer, but I don’t pray well. I cannot honestly say Tom is a man of prayer. When I pray, it is either an afterthought or a thing of confusion. Either I make a decision I should have first taken to God for His guidance, or I fumble my thoughts into confusion, wondering. What can I say to God?
So, what is this post about? I was listening to Elements of True Prayer, Part 1, part of a sermon given by John MacArthur on Daniel 9:1-19, and it occurred to me that Daniel’s prayer would be a good pattern for a prayer of my own.
What did Daniel pray?
Daniel 9:1-19 New American Standard Bible
9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and pleading, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed, and said, “Oh, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned, we have done wrong, and acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our leaders, our fathers, and all the people of the land.
7 “Righteousness belongs to You, Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. 8 Open shame belongs to us, Lord, to our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, because we have rebelled against Him; 10 and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11 Indeed, all Israel has violated Your Law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has gushed forth on us, along with the oath which is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him. 12 So He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great disaster; for under the entire heaven there has not been done anything like what was done in Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our wrongdoing and giving attention to Your truth. 14 So the Lord has kept the disaster in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.
15 “And now, Lord, our God, You who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. 16 Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the wrongdoings of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an object of taunting to all those around us. 17 So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his pleas, and for Your sake, Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 My God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our pleas before You based on any merits of our own, but based on Your great compassion. 19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
How should I adapt Daniel’s prayer? In my next post, I will try.
Reblogged this on Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach.
First, we will keep you both in prayer. Secondly, I have been writing my daily blog/devotionals since the 1st of the year almost entirely on Prayer, because I too realized I did not pray well anymore. I do not mean high and lofty pious prayers. Those I am not even sure are Biblical. I am talking about the soul-bearing prayers of Bunyan, Luther, Spurgeon, and the like. The conversations (prayer time) with God; left them drained and fulfilled at the same time.
I am working on that kind of relationship again.
directorfsm
I cannot honestly say I pray well. If I did, then my first thought about any subject would be to wonder what God thinks. Not even close to first.
Through this journey, I have found it helpful to go back to the basics. Nothing more so in prayer than that of the Lord’s Pray. Both the Westminster Larger Catechism #172-196, https://prts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Larger_Catechism.pdf and to a lesser extent the Baptist catechism 105-114 https://founders.org/library/the-baptist-catechism/ cover this nicely.
directorfsm
Thanks for the links. That’s excellent reading material.
Thanks for the update brother. I am praying with you. Blessings.
Michael Wilson
Thanks.
I will pray for you both.
River Dixon
Very much appreciated.
You’ve been missed, Tom. I will lift your lady up in prayer right now. May God wrap you in His strength and comfort and give you His peace.
insanitybytes22
Thank you. Miss you too.
Tom
Sorry to hear about your wife. I believe in prayer, and will include both of you in my prayers.
Regards and goodwill blogging.
scatterwisdom
Thank you.
Why has Israel enshrined the Right of Return for all g’lut Jewry. Most simple answer: the nations of the world shut and bolted their doors, when Hitler together with his diabolical criminal fiends, initiated the Shoah of European Jewry.
The sages, both rabbi Akiva and Hillel, learned the mitzvah of kre’a shma through its נמשל דיוק, that which you hate, do not project this hate unto others. Judea after some 100 years of Civil War, culminated when Roman troops – our leaders actually invited the Roman Army into the walls of Jerusalem; this absolute disgrace, Judea surrendered her hard fought-for national Independence! Our own divided kingdom, those warring brothers who argued between them, who would wear the crown, both brothers had invited a Roman general, together with his Army, to resolve their dynastic dispute! Nothing could express the exhaustion, the absolute weariness of soul, that hatred without cause had obliterated the dignity of the nation of Judea.
Jews we won our Independence War, and then immediately thereafter – we made war against ourselves. This absolute disgrace has haunted Jewry for 2000+ years of horrid g’lut. Then pop up Hitler, and the world, it too abandoned all its enlightenment ideals – overnight. Scratch a European and behold an uncivilized barbarian. Two European Civil Wars have distorted and scared not only the Jewish survivors.
Europe obliterated its ‘good name’, its Moral mandate to rule the inferior dark skinned sub-humans of Africa and the Pacific. Just as my people bore the burden of our guilt throughout 2000+ years of oppression and injustice, this disgrace directly compares to China’s Century of Shame. Post Shoah, the mark of Cain, it now burns within the souls of all Europeans, all nations who – when the lives of European Jewry hung in the scales of balance – foreign leaders across the world, made the decision to close their borders to Jewish refugees who sought to flee from the Nazis death trap. This judgment effectively condemned European Jewry to the Nazi damnation of Hell.
The refusal of the Allied ‘Big Three’ to bomb the Nazi rail lines unto the death camps, that decision goes hand in glove with the pre-war passage of the 2nd British White Paper. That decree completely betrayed the tenets upon which the League of Nations originally awarded the “Palestine Mandate”. Following the successful destruction of the 2nd German empire, to the British empire. Consequently, David Ben-Gurion and other Zionist leaders understood the t’shuvah payment which Israel must pay. “Never Again ” commands: the Jewish State forever has an open door policy which extends to all Jewish refugee g’lut populations, scattered across the 4 corners of the Earth. The State of Israel must forever bear the burden of Jewish regret for the sin of Hatred without Cause among our people – our golden calf.
Children do not grasp the pain of disgrace and failure. Adults, we all possess the potential to cook our emotional mind, through the heat generated by disgrace and humiliation. The mitzvah of tefillah remembers, the memories of social behaviors among our own people – which produce the consequences of life or death, blessing or curse. Tefillah which lacks k’vanna, remembering tohor and tumah middot; the success or failure of our people to honor the brit, to breath tohor middot ideals – which both our forefathers and ourselves have dedicated them as a holy korban, most holy to HaShem. A man can not dedicate tohor middot without remembering the disgrace and humiliation of tumah social behaviors, made throughout life. Who ultimately bears responsibility for the crimes of the Shoah? We, the chosen Cohen nation alone, we bear responsibility for this horror, this disgrace. Our leaders chose, and kissed the calf of assimilation. Our leaders lead Israel back unto Egyptian slavery and bondage. We see the cause of the Shoah, every time we honestly look at ourselves in the mirror.
Amos 5:4: “Seek Me, and live” succinctly defines the revelation of the Torah @ Sinai as expressed in the First Commandment. Hab. 2:4: The righteous shall live by his faith” confirms this prophetic mussar which Amose commands. Specifically all generations of the bnai brit Cohen nation, either we do or we fail to obey the First Commandment לשמה. Hillel’s mussar “go and learn” directly applies to all generations of Israel living. The lame excuse of doing mitzvot לא לשמה leads to doing mitzvot לשמה – it fails to teach prophetic mussar. The 2000+ years of g’lut serves as the prosecutor’s main witness which condemns my People. The purpose of the תרי”ג commandments, Moshe the prophet stood the Sanhedrin courts upon the principles of Common Law. Mitzvot learn from other mitzvot like halachot function as precedents to understand the k’vanna of a specific Case\Rule Mishna. Avot teaches that Am haʼaretzim can not live modest lives. The freed slave, who bears the scares of slavery, only such a man as this, can truly walk in modesty before his fellow citizens.
The Yigdal hymn shares no portion with modesty, because Ben Maimon did not keep the Torah לשמה. The Creed of the 13 principles, that death creed, it follows the cultures and customs of religions whose people never accepted the revelation of the Torah @ Sinai\Horev. It fails to validate Rabbi Akiva’s פרדס understanding of how to correctly learn the k’vanna of the Oral Torah revelation @ Horev, commonly known as מלכות. To swear an ברכה requires שם ומלכות. This profound interpretation, which separates blessings from tehillem, defines the meaning of faith, the sanctification of Will to do mitzvot לשמה. The supporters of Ben Maimon refer to the Yigdal creed as a “prayer”. But Rabbi Yochanon objects. Tefillah requires שם ומלכות, this pre-condition, it defines the k’vanna of “prayer”. The alien notion – prayer – does not define the k’vanna of tefillah anymore than Covenant defines ברית. The latter, an oath alliance, requires making an oath לשמה. Sinai & Horev serve as the יסוד of שם ומלכות. Ben Maimon organized his code of halachah based upon Aristotelian principles of logic. He did not understand Rabbi Akiva’s פרדס explanation of Oral Torah logic. He did not understand that Moshe the prophet organized the תרי”ג mitzvot as Common Law by which he intended Israel to set up, and establish the Federal Sanhedrin Court system, within the Republic of the Written Torah Constitutional State. This mitzvah, commonly known as – to built the Beit Hamikdash.
Ben Maimon failed to understand the Moshiach dedication of the House of Aaron as the יסוד of the Moshiach anointing of the House of David. Obedience takes priority over sacrifices. Obedience applies to all generations of the brit Cohen nation. No one man can ever encapsulate the k’vanna of the mitzvah of Moshiach. Therefore the Moshiach “tarries” only because we, all generations of our people, fail to take responsibility for our lives, in our walk before HaShem to obey our King לשמה. King does not refer to some glorified monarch. King directly connects with the 13 tohor middot Oral Torah revelation, which Moshe the prophet heard @ Horev. Torah logic not dependent upon Eras or times. All generations of the bnai brit Cohen nation require Oral Torah logic to correctly interpret the Written Torah Constitution of the Republic. Israel does not require the 3rd rule of the Rambam, we have the mitzva דאורייתא known as chanukah.
The sealed masoret tradition serves as witness that Israel accepts the revelation of the Torah @ Sinai. The counterfeit claimants — never once do their holy books include the Name revealed in the First Commandment @ Sinai. Never once do their holy books recognize the moral priority, to rule the land with justice, through the establishment of Federal common law courts. Neither the new testament nor the koran understood that the T’NaCH exists as the first Common Law codification based upon the תרי”ג commandments.
mosckerr
That’s a long comment, and it is not especially germane to this post. However, except on your own website I have not seen it splashed all over the place. So, I guess you think it relevant. So, I let it by.
What do I think of your comment? Since it is full of jargon I don’t understand, wordy, unnecessarily complex sentence construction. and unfocused, to some extent I don’t know what to make of it, but this line I find hard to stomach.
Ignorance does not make people inferior. It just means they need to be educated. What Christians have is a moral mandate to love our fellows as Christ loves us. That includes trying to educate the ignorant.
So long as they don’t try to kick everyone else out, I don’t have a problem with Jews returning to the Holy Land. Many of the Muslims who lived there in the aftermath of WWII did, unfortunately. Was there religious bigotry more rational than the racial bigotry you just displayed? Since what we believe makes a difference in how we behave……
Howdy Tom, thank you for your response. 2000+ years of cruel Xtian oppression of Jewish stateless refugee populations resulted in the Shoah. What marks Xtianity … their criminal hatred of all not like themselves.
mosckerr
There is nothing in the New Testament that calls upon Christians to persecute anyone, certainly not the Jews.
Look into your own heart. The natural man worships idols and thinks first of himself. He hates anyone who looks or thinks differently. Because the Jews set themselves apart and worship the One True God, other men hate them, and Satan fans that flame of hate. Only Christians who have read and believe the Bible do otherwise.
I have no idea why you call yourself “mosckerr”, you probably think that handle clever in some way. Yet it may as well mean “most error.” You mock yourself most of all.
Citizen Tom
The new testament states: By their fruits you shall know them.
mosckerr
If people who call themselves Christians don’t even try to obey the teachings of the Bible, is appropriate to call them Christians?
Most definitely yes, b/c their exist branches of this religion that would make any species of tree quite proud. No. simple definition such as your give, it totally fails to take this reality into account. For example: The Xtian “bibble”, no translation exists that kosher. HaHaHa
mosckerr
I don’t spend much time trying to defend either my own perfection or the perfection of Christians. I only observe two things.
1. Those casting stones are not without sin.
2. Those of us who believe and trust in God”s Word know that thanks to the grace and the mercy of God we are better than we might otherwise be.
So, you want to laugh at ridicule me? All you do is make yourself ridiculous. Even as you complain about persecution, you persecute others. That’s hypocrisy.
Justice requires the guilty to pay compensation for damages. Justice requires that the Judges hear the case before the court without prejudice. Prejudice defines European courtrooms.
Have never made any personal attacks against you.
@mosckerr
Bigots don’t make personal attacks. They persecute others based upon such things as race, sex, or creed.
Without even understanding the Biblical concept, you pursue “justice.” Based upon bigoted notions, you would make children responsible for the sins of their fathers. God may have the wisdom to do such a thing, but He prohibits us from doing it.
Making Ad hominem arguments = bad logic. צדק צדק תרדוף Justice Justice pursue. The foundation upon which the entire Torah stands.
How does the Torah define justice? Sorry you can not rely upon a Daniel Webster dictionary, or New Testament non biblical sources to define Torah terms. This question Xtianity NEVER defined. Just as and directly comparable to the new testament authors did not know how to define the key term “prophet”.
A person cannot ‘ “fulfill” prophesy’, as the new testament declares. All Torah prophets command mussar. Mussar defines all T’NaCH prophesy. Just that simple – cut and dried.
Mussar equally applies to all generations of bnai brit Israel. All generations of bnai brit, the Chosen Cohen first born nation struggle with the opposing inclinations of doing good and evil. This interpretation learns straight from Adam HaReshon who ate the fruit of knowledge of good and evil.
Contrast my response to your “bigoted notions”. You repeat the term bigot; the racial ad hominem attack reveals a condemnation of my opinions as “raciest”. Your rebukes contain no Torah learning – none.
“God may have”, what utter non sense. The Torah directly commands an Israel to rebuke the transgressions made by a “neighbor”. The sages of the Talmud teach, that they did not know how to give a Torah rebuke!
All T’NaCH prophets command mussar. Mussar understood as a תוֹכָחָה\”rebuke”. A person does not nor cannot fulfill (Repeated this word earlier, this repetition emphasized the magnitude of that error.) prophesy, as the new testament pretends that JeZeus did.
Prophetic commandments, not a matter comparable to a check off list. Like JeZeus fulfilled the words of the prophets. HaHaHaHaHa what a total joke.
Mosckerr
If you want to promote a particular form of Judism, that’s your right, but do it elsewhere.
The kabbalah teaches: Moshiach builds the Beit Hamikdash. Which ever Generation builds the 6 Cities of Refuge …meaning – the generation who empowers the 6 Small sanhedrin Federal lateral common law Courts; Ends hatred without cause among our People. NaCH, the earlier codification of Common Law Halachot ruled by the lateral common law Jewish courtrooms,,, Following attaining Independence for the Free Judean 2nd Commonweal. No Jew can exclude other Jews from their equal inheritance to the Oral Torah פרדס logic system. A revelation from HaShem, which permits all later generations equal רוח הקודש spirits to interpret the Written Torah only with this logic format… learning a case by means of bringing previous, similar case- rulings from earlier lateral common law court rooms – meaning precedents determine law. The abstract נמשל of the concrete משל Halachic ritual – organized into nice tidy subjects. The Torah NaCH Writings Mishah Gemarah Midrashim Siddur teach: All positive time oriented mitzvot, they all breath k’vanna. Tohor defined\interpreted/ “tohor”__–, https://www\\ דאורייתא ודרבן.middot.measurement comparisons__–,
Mosckerr
If you post stuff that isn’t germane to the topic, I will just delete it.
Regardless of what we say or think or present as diverse or opposing opinion, in the end we are all just plain human. Tom, it sounds as if your lady has encountered a serious situation and for that I truly wish her well, and for you to have the the continued strength to support her through this.
As for prayer… I am reminded of an old quote, assigned to some unknown…
“Do not make prayer a monologue…make it a conversation.”
We know not ought how we should pray. ~Saint Paul
That’s why God gave us the Bible. Here is more from Saint Paul from 2 Timothy 3-16:
“16 Everything in the scripture has been divinely inspired, and has its uses; to instruct us, to expose our errors, to correct our faults, to educate us in holy living;”
Recently, I asked the members of a men’s club I belong to, “What is the protocol for dealing with grief?”
The answer was crickets.