21 Days of Prayer and Fasting Day 4 Daniel’s Prayer for the Nation

There are many different ways to approach a long-term fast. So, be sure to be led by the Lord. One path a person may take is to fast 1 meal or 2 meals a day and to break their fast at a specific time during the day. During the time of the skipped meals, the person fasting would spend time praying and meditating on the Word of God instead of eating.

Others may chose to eliminate all sugar or refined foods and spend one day a week fasting from all food for 24 hours. In this case, it can be easiest to eat dinner and then go to bed that evening. The next morning, skip breakfast and lunch while eating again at dinner time. During the time of fasting, you may drink broth, or other liquids like milk, if you need to. Be sure to drink a lot of water.

Another person may go on a liquid diet for the entire time of the fast drinking water, juice, milk, broths or protein drinks.

Yet another person may just do water. This is only something you should do under a doctor’s supervision.

Whatever you do, if you are changing your diet significantly, make sure you check with your doctor. There are lots of resources online to knowing how to approach fasting. If you aren’t used to it, pray and ask the Lord for direction.

Don’t be surprised if you feel a little low on day 3. Your body may even experience some cleansing affects like aches and pains. It’s important to keep drinking lots of liquids.

Scripture prayer – Daniel 9

Today we will focus on Daniel’s approach to praying for God’s prophecies to be fulfilled. He doesn’t just say, “God is sovereign. He will do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it.” He said, “I see God made a promise. I am going to fast and repent for the nation’s sins. I am going to seek the Lord’s face for the people of God.” Let’s use his prayer to pray for our nation. Use the words of Daniel’s prayer and adapt it to pray for your nation.

Daniel 9 New King James Version (NKJV)

Daniel’s Prayer for the People

9 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,

(Here’s the prayer!) “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 (insert your nation here) Judah, to the inhabitants of (name your town and city) 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. ¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!

¹⁶ “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city (America) Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, (America) Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. ¹⁷ Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary (in the hearts and spirits of those who claim your name), which is desolate. ¹⁸ O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

1. Lord, I pray that you be with Dr. Kathi Altman as she stands for the unborn in state legislatures. I pray that you strengthen her and give her your refreshment. Speak to her by your Spirit. Anoint her with your oil of gladness. Bring an anointing on her, so that when she speaks, ears and eyes are opened. Bring conviction of sin to her hearers. Bring a peace to those who listen to her, that they will be confident about standing for truth and justice for the innocent children.
2. I pray that you will raise up the church. Let the sleeping church arise from its bed of luxury and self-centeredness. Raise up the believers of Jesus in America to stand up for truth. Remove their self-centered fear. Teach them not to fear men, but to fear God. Teach them the difference between the philosophies of the world and the life-changing truth of God.
3. I pray that those in your church who have compromised and ignored your truth will repent. Open the eyes of their hearts. Teach the church to be the church. Pour out your Spirit for repentance and revival, Lord. Destroy the work of the anti-christ spirits that come against the truth of Christ, in Jesus’ name. May the name of Jesus be exalted in the United States and glorified in the church for all generations, Amen.