Have you felt like God’s promises are stuck on “pending”—and if your prayers really make a difference? Or maybe you’ve felt like His promises are on hold while life’s challenges just keep piling up. Daniel wrestles with delayed blessings for Israel. Instead of quietly waiting or giving in to discouragement, he launches into a heartfelt prayer of repentance—taking ownership of the very sins that led to exile. What follows is nothing short of remarkable: God sends the angel Gabriel, unveiling a prophetic timeline that not only addresses Israel’s imminent return but also foreshadows a far greater redemption, pointing straight to the Messiah. This chapter reminds us that while God’s clock might not match ours, His grace never fails, and His plans are always right on schedule. Daniel’s example shows us how earnest, humble prayer draws us into alignment with God’s bigger plans—even when answers don’t arrive instantly. If you’ve ever felt frustrated waiting on the Lord, or wondered whether He’s even listening, Daniel 9 offers tangible hope and a glimpse of how heaven’s timeline intersects with our messy realities. Our prayers can ignite God’s promises, strengthen our faith, and reshape our perspective on waiting. 

God’s promises may seem delayed, but He will always keep His word based on His timeline. Humble, scripture-informed prayer and repentance can centre us in God’s grand plan, narrative, and purpose.

Daniel 9:3 – So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.

Daniel 9:2 – During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.

Jeremiah 25:11 – This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

2 Chronicles 36:21 – So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 – For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

James 4:8 – Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Daniel 9:9-10 – But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. 

Daniel 9:19 – “O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”

Nehemiah 1:6-7 –  Listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.

Prayer at UAC

• Personal & Family Disciplines of Prayer
• Prayer in Life Groups
• Sunday Morning Prayer
• Monthly Tuesday Evening Prayer
• After Service Prayer
• Alpha, Summer Camp, Children, University Prayer Teams

Daniel 9:23 – The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.

1 John 3:1 – See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!

Romans 8:16-17 – For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Daniel 9:24 – “A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.”

Daniel 9:25 – Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.

70 Weeks

·    7 sets of 7 = 7 x 7 = 49 years

·    62 sets of 7 = 62 x 7 = 434 years

·    1 set of 7 = 1 x 7 = 7 years

Daniel’s Prophecy: 538 BC

Artaxerxes Command to Rebuild the Temple: 457 BC

One Date for Jesus’ Public Ministry: 26/27 AD (483 years later)

Daniel’s Prophecy: 538 BC

Artaxerxes Command to Rebuild Jerusalem: 444 BC

One Date for Jesus being killed: 33 AD (173,880 days later)

Ephesians 3:20 – Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Revelations 11:15 – “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”