真诚的认罪
但以理书九章1至14节
1玛代族亚哈随鲁的儿子大利乌立为迦勒底国的王元年，
2就是他在位第一年，我但以理从书上得知耶和华的话临到先知耶利米，论耶路撒冷荒凉的年数，七十年为满。
3我便禁食，披麻蒙灰，定意向主神祈祷恳求。
4我向耶和华─我的神祈祷、认罪，说：主啊，大而可畏的神，向爱主、守主诫命的人守约施慈爱。
5我们犯罪作孽，行恶叛逆，偏离你的诫命典章，
6没有听从你仆人众先知奉你名向我们君王、首领、列祖，和国中一切百姓所说的话。
7主啊，你是公义的，我们是脸上蒙羞的；因我们犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民，并以色列众人，或在近处，或在远处，被你赶到各国的人，都得罪了你，正如今日一样。
8主啊，我们和我们的君王、首领、列祖因得罪了你，就都脸上蒙羞。
9主─我们的神是怜悯饶恕人的，我们却违背了他，
10也没有听从耶和华─我们神的话，没有遵行他藉仆人众先知向我们所陈明的律法。
11以色列众人都犯了你的律法，偏行，不听从你的话；因此，在你仆人摩西律法上所写的咒诅和誓言都倾在我们身上，因我们得罪了神。
12他使大灾祸临到我们，成就了警戒我们和审判我们官长的话；原来在普天之下未曾行过像在耶路撒冷所行的。
13这一切灾祸临到我们身上是照摩西律法上所写的，我们却没有求耶和华─我们神的恩典，使我们回头离开罪孽，明白你的真理。
14所以耶和华留意使这灾祸临到我们身上，因为耶和华─我们的神在他所行的事上都是公义；我们并没有听从他的话。
信息分享
例如，在但以理书第二章，但以理正面对一个重大的危机，他急需为此向神祈祷。来到第六章，他要面对一个严峻的考验，要迫使他不认主。在这一章，我们看见他为他的同胞献上认罪的祷告。而且，他并非以「局外人」的身分来为他们代求，而是认同自己是他们当中的一分子，以一个民族的整体来祈求神的赦罪。
我们还可以从另一个角度来检视他的祷告生活：在第三章，他跟三位朋友一同祷告；在第六章，他独自向神祈祷；而第九章则是一种认罪的代求和恒切的祷告。由此可见，但以理是一位祷告的战士；他深信神本为善，因此便不住地向神呼求。
但以理之所以发出这篇感人的认罪祷文，原来是他读了先知书之后有感而发。神的话语感动了他的心，催逼他向神祷告。我们的读经生活本该如此：神的话语应该激励我们向祂祷告。
催逼但以理祷告的另一个原因，是他渴求神的旨意得以成就。但以理从先知书的预言中发现，神预定犹太人被流放到巴比伦的年数快将届满，因此，他便赶紧祈求神按照祂的旨意而行。
当神计划或开始一项工作的时候，祂总会将祷告的负担放在祂儿女的心中，要他们不住为有关的计划祷告。
我们借着这种奇妙的祷告，便可以与神同工，实现神的旨意。许多时候，信徒要经过一个真诚认罪和被神洁净的过程，才能清除一切障碍，让神的工作得以展开。此刻的但以理便是为此而祷告。这个道理对我们有甚么启发呢？
今天，大多数教会都急需复兴。只有当神的百姓愿意花时间用神的话语来省察自己，再以痛悔的心来到祂的面前，复兴才能开始。但以理在这里为我们立下了一个美好的榜样。我们愿意认真反思，并且领悟当中的教训吗？
TRUE CONFESSIONS IN DANIEL'S DAY
Daniel 9:1-14
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—
2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books 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.
Message
For example, Daniel chapter 2 finds Daniel praying urgently in a time of crisis. In the sixth chapter he faces a strong temptation to deny the Lord. In this chapter, he is confessing the sins of his people and identifying himself with them.
Looking at his prayer life from another angle, there is united prayer with his three friends in chapter 3. There is personal prayer by himself in chapter 6. There are intercessory as well as persistent prayers in chapter 9. Daniel was a man who prayed, and always did so with recognition of God's goodness.
The marvellous example of prayer in this chapter arose form his reading of the prophetic Scriptures. The Word of God had stirred his heart to pray. That is how it should be. Our daily reading of God's message should lead us to prayer.
Notice also that it was the realization of God's purposes which stirred Daniel to pray. Daniel could see that the time which God had decreed for the Jews to be in Babylon was almost completed. He therefore began to ask God to do what He had promised.
When God plans or begins a work, He almost always lays a burden in the heart of one of His children for prayer concerning that plan.
In the strange mystery of prayer, God's purposes are carried out as we co-operate with Him. Often there has to be genuine confession and cleansing before the way is clear for God to work. That is why Daniel prayed as he did. What does that say to us today?
The great need of most of our churches is revival. But revival usually comes when God's people take time to look at themselves in the light of God's Word and then seek His face in repentance. Perhaps through our reading today, Daniel is giving us an example of how to do this. Are we listening to what He is saying to us?