Review: The Daniel Prayer: Prayer That Moves Heaven and
Changes Earth
Anne Graham Lotz
Zondervan
2016
One of the endorsements of this book said, “This work will
call you out of the doldrums of lackluster faith and beckon you to renewed
passion for an age-old spiritual discipline that still has wonder-working power”
(Priscilla Shirer). Absolutely, it will. I applaud the author and the publisher for
the courage to produce this work in this day and time. Does that mean I agree with every word? Not necessarily, but there isn’t much room to
wiggle either.
This book is a call to prayer---individually and as the
Church---with a view toward revival of the sort we have only read about lately.
The author sounds like one of the
prophets of old as she calls to her people back to their roots. I suspect for many that pick up this book they
will find it much too challenging to finish.
Anne Graham Lotz (AGL) does not attack or berate anyone, but as she
speaks to the situation her words will touch you. If you are a Christian reader the Spirit will
speak to you through this work. If you
are not a Christian reader it will give you some idea of what it could be like
to follow Jesus Christ.
She patterns The
Daniel Prayer on the prayer found in the book of Daniel, chapter nine. The
setting of the chapter is that the seventy years of exile for Daniel’s people as
foretold by Jeremiah were nearly complete. When Daniel reads the prophecy and
realizes the time is near, he prays for his people and himself to be fit for a
return to their land and for God to fulfill the prophecy. AGL believes Daniel’s prayer is appropriate
for our time as well. See if you agree
after you read Daniel 9:1-23.
I do recommend this book.
It encourages her readers to arise and to meet the challenges before
them in prayer that moves Heaven and changes nations.
I received this book from the publisher in return for a
review.
Thank you for your review, Gini. I read other reviews while considering whether to purchase this book since the Kindle version is on sale (today only). Like yours, they seem to agree that Anne Lotz’s book can provoke one to a more vital prayer life; but now that I have tried to think through your question about whether Daniel’s prayer in 9:1-23 is appropriate for our time I have concluded that it is not.
ReplyDeleteI think this is essentially the same prayer Moses prayed in Exodus 32:11-13 when God wanted to destroy the children of Israel for turning to idolatry when they had just agreed to obey the 10 commandments. Moses admitted their sin but pointed out how the Egyptians would gloat if they were destroyed just after escaping, and he claimed God’s promises for the nation’s future which God had made to Israel’s patriarchs.
Daniel proceeds in a similar manner, although he dwells on their sin much more extensively. He says they “have become an object of ridicule to all those around us” (v. 16). Daniel prays, “Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name” (v. 19, emphasis added). The nation seems to have nothing to recommend it but Daniel asks God to act anyway!
It seems rather clear that “The Daniel Prayer” concerns a nation that is specially chosen by God in a way that no other nation has ever been. No other nation has received the kinds of promises ancient Israel received. Although the Bible tells us that every authority is appointed by God (Romans 13:1), it does not tell us that every nation is intended to endure. There does not seem to be a very strong argument to claim that Daniel’s prayer has any basis for “changing nations” as suggested by the subtitled of the book. – Jim Johnson