Praying for the Exiled
“Give ear, our 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. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."
Daniel 9:18
The people of God had messed up so greatly and for so long that God handed them over to their enemies and in the 6th century B.C., they became captives in Babylon for 70 years.
In Daniel 9, Daniel prays for Jerusalem, acknowledging the sins of his people. His prayer contrasts a gracious, compassionate and holy God with His people who are stubborn, rebellious and ignorantly pursue their interests. Daniel reflects on the consequences of that rebellion: destruction, devastation and exile, recognizing it is not God who caused the judgment but their sins.
He prays, trusting in God’s mercy and His goodness. He is the God who restores.
While we may not have experienced an exile, we may have "woken up" in a place we never thought we would be, asking, “How did I get here?” “How did I become this person?” “How could I have ended up so far from home?”
We all have experienced the consequences of our actions and chosen things that are not good for us or others. We have pursued our own interests and passions. We have acted hatefully, selfishly or arrogantly, in small and large ways, becoming so entrenched in them that the consequences bear out in our lives: relationship breakdowns, kids never returning home, job friction and business turmoil, internal conflict, addiction, disease and the effects of chronic stress. What may have seemed so good (or at least harmless) at the start became our downfall in one way or another.
Yet, God is merciful. Daniel concludes his prayer by trusting not in the righteousness of the people but in the righteousness of God. He can bring us home. It is never too late. We might feel alienated and lost, but if we become humble and honest with God — knowing it is because of God, not us, that any change is possible — He will forgive and bring us home.
That was the promise God, through the angel, made to Daniel after his prayer. And that is the promise He has for us, too.
