Lotz - The daniel prayer study guide: prayer that moves heaven and changes nations

Do you ever long for a more effective prayer life? Have you ever become so discouraged that you wanted to give up even trying? I have!

Im reminded of an old CD player I once had. Its carousel would take five CDs at a time. One day when I loaded it, it refused to play the CDs. When I pushed the button for it to eject them, nothing happened. So I banged and pried on the little door, but to no avail. I took it to the shop, and the technician said he would have it fixed in three days. When I went back to get it, the man said, Mrs. Lotz, Im sorry. I couldnt get it to work. I did break it open to get your CDs out, but the player wont work. So I threw it away.

When something doesnt fulfill its purpose, its useless. Is that how you have come to feel about prayer? If so, Im glad you have joined this Bible study! Because I, too, have struggled with prayer. In fact, its been the biggest fight in my Christian walk. I have constantly seemed to struggle with concentration, content, and consistency. And thats the primary reason the Daniel Prayer has taught me and blessed me and encouraged me and inspired me and motivated me to pray as Daniel prayed!

One key to praying like Daniel is to pray in response to Gods Word. Its called reversed thunderpraying Gods Word back to Him. So I always take my Bible into my prayer time, listening for Gods voice to speak to me as I read it. Then I speak... or pray... back to Him regarding what He has said.

Does this bring up another issue for you? Do you find yourself wishing that God would speak audibly to you like He did with people in the Bible? He spoke to the prophets, the priests, the kings, the elderly, the apostles, the early church, and even to young children like little Samuel. Sometimes, He spoke to the enemies of His people. But whenever He spoke, His voice was so clear to the person listening that there was no mistaking what He had said. How can you hear Gods voice today?

While God can speak any way He chooses, He speaks to me through His Word, as He did to Daniel in Daniel 9. In each of the six Bible study sessions, Im going to lead you in a simple exercise that I use in order to listen to Gods voice, which is a springboard into prayer. Then, in each video segment, I will share insights God has given me on that weeks topic from Daniels prayer. Following the video, you will participate in a discussion with your group as you seek ways that Daniels story and effective prayer life applies to your own.