We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive!» (Daniel 9:18, 19).
Before Daniel uttered those words in prayer, he’d confessed that God’s people, now exiled in Babylon, had «sinned and done wrong. [They had] been wicked and . . rebelled» (verse 5). Not exactly a pretty picture. But God forgave and eventually restored the captives to their homeland.
Listen to a modern-day «Daniel» share her feelings about grace and our uncertain future:
A wandering thought in my head as time unwinds, A steady but quick pace down to Your grave, I kneel in prayer and imagine the golden stair.
I pray for Your forgiveness and hope You will soon be here.
I adore You and can’t wait to see You,
God my Saviour and my knight in shining armor.
We await Your second coming and are ready to face You without shame,
For God is not a game.
We should never give shame to the name of God on most high, For no married man should have a wandering eye, A man is to his wife as the Bible is to God.
We should keep the law, not one thing should flaw.
I tell you the truth, youth and beauty will soon go poof. But no matter what, God will always be there for you, For you are not alone.