The prayer that avails much

The prayer that avails much

Speaker: Pr Darren Burnett

This sermon was preached at WPC Belconnen’s Sunday evening service on November 7, 2021. The Bible passage being expounded is Daniel 9:1-19.

We see in this prayer of Daniel, recorded in the first half of Daniel 9, a perfect example of ‘the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man that availeth much.’ Daniel here prays fervently and passionately for God’s grace to be poured out upon the faithless people of Israel. Daniel first acknowledges their terrible sin before God – both their sin that led to their exile in Babylon and their sin that continued while they were in exile. He pleads for God to return them to the land of Israel, not because of any merit they had achieved – but for the sake of God’s name among the nations and on the basis of God’s amazing grace. Like Daniel, we ought to pray for our land, for our people. We ought to pray for revival in Australia. We ought to pray that there would he a great turning back to God. And we ought to pray for revival so that God would be glorified in our land and that His name would be proclaimed, and His grace and mercy made known.