May the mumbling commence!
The prayers of a righteous man (or woman) avail much. Daniel was a righteous man who did not separate himself from the sins of the community in which he lived. Read the prayer of Daniel, recorded in Daniel 9:
"O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame – the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. O Lord, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." (Verses 4b-19)
Over the course of his exile, Daniel had done everything he knew how to be faithful to the Lord. Still, Daniel did not attempt to separate himself from the evil sins of his community. Daniel recognized the right that the Lord had in punishing Israel. In fact, Daniel knew that these punishments were recorded in the book of the Law of Moses.
If you have ever wondered what confession is, you could look at this prayer of Daniel as a good guidepost to confession in all its fullness. Daniel was not reticent to speak and claim the sins of Israel as his own. That is one side of confession – confessing our sins to the Lord, even ones that happened around us that we did nothing to stop (the sins of the community).
Daniel’s prayer also shows the other side confession. Daniel confessed the righteousness and mercy of the Lord. Daniel knew that the answer to his prayer counted not upon human effort but upon the mercy and righteousness of the Lord.
I pray along with Daniel: Heal the ills of our time. Forgive our sins. We, as Christians, bear Your Name, O God. Help us, O Holy Spirit, be better bearers of the Name of the Lord.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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