Summary: TEXT -- Daniel 9:9-19 <br><br> I want us to focus on how Daniel prayed for the children of Israel in light of Israel being an Old Testament depiction of the church as God's chosen people. Much of what we see in the history of the children of Israel can be seen in the history of the church. In this, the New Testament era, while the Jews are still God's chosen people, God has chosen the church to be His representatives on earth. And, frankly, just like the children of Israel, we have failed in our fulfillment of that duty. So today, I want us to see how we can use Daniel's prayer as a guide in praying for the church today. <br><br> In 1520, Martin Luther wrote an essay which he called "The Babylonian Captivity of the Church." What he meant by that title was that forces that were foreign to Christ and to his Word had captured the mind and heart of the church. The church of Martin Luther's day was in bondage to godless forces, just like the children of Israel were in bondage to the godless Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians. <br><br> Many Christians today have allowed themselves to be under the bondage of worldly and godless forces and the church is not as effective as it should be because of it. Just like Jerusalem lay desolate for seventy years, much of the church of today has become a desolation of disobedience, disunity, and dishonor to the name of Christ. How do we pray for a desolate church? Let's see what we can learn from Daniel's prayer for the children of Israel: <br><br> 1. The first thing we should do is get back to the Word. <br><br> 2. The second thing we should do is confess our sins. <br><br> 3. The third thing we should do is appeal to God's zeal for his own glory.
