Daniel understood the
time was near when His people would complete their exile. Preparations must be made for successfully re-entering the land.
Sin from generations past still cling to their land because no repentance was offered for it. If they allowed the land to
languish under this burden their return will be short lived. Daniel stood in the gap for his people and their land; will you
stand in the gap for yours?
Dan 9:1-19 In the first year of
Darius the son of Ahasuerus, who was king over the realm of the Chaldeans, I Daniel, understood the number of the years specified
by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
3 Then I set my face toward the
Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the Lord my God,
and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him,
and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even
by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your
name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You,
but to us shame of face, as it is this day — to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those
near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed
against You.
8 "O Lord, to us belongs
shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong
mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in
His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed
so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured
out on us, because we have sinned against Him. 12 And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our
judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has
been done to Jerusalem.
13 "As
it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our
God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind,
and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.
15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name,
as it is this day — we have sinned, we have done wickedly!
16 "O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned
away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem
and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his
supplications, and for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O 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 do not present
our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive!
O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name."
NKJV