2) Our Daily Bread for 7 December 2025 Titled
Pray What's on Your Heart by John Blase
Daniel 9:4-6, 15-19
4 (Dt 7:9; Ne 9:32) And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made my confession,
and said,
"Alas, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping His covenant
and mercy to those who love Him, and to those who keep His commandments.
5 (Ps 106:6; Isa 64:5-7) We have sinned and have committed iniquity
and have done wickedly and have rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts
and from Your judgments.
6 (2Ch 36:15-16; Ezr 9:7) We have not listened to Your servants the prophets,
who spoke in Your name to our kings, our officials, and our fathers,
and to all the people of the land.
15 (Ne 9:10; Ex 6:1) "Now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people
out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name,
even to this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 (Zec 8:3; Ps 31:1O) Lord, according to all Your righteousness,
I beseech You, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city
Jerusalem, Your holy mountain, because for our sins and for the iniquities
of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all who
are around us.
17 (Ps 80:19; La 5:18) "Now therefore, O God, hear the prayer of Your servant
and his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, cause Your face to shine
upon Your sanctuary, which is desolate.
18 (Isa 37:17; Jer 25:29) O my God, incline Your ear and hear. Open Your eyes
and look at our desolations and the city which is called by Your name,
for we do not present our supplications before You for our righteousness,
but for Your great mercies.
19 (Jer 14:9; Da 9:18) O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act!
Do not defer, for Your own sake, O my God. For Your city and Your people
are called by Your name."
Daniel 9
[4] And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O
Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them
that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
[5] We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and
have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
[6] Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in
thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people
of the land.
[15] And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the
land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this
day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
[16] O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine
anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy
mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers,
Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
[17] Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his
supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is
desolate, for the Lord's sake.
[18] O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our
desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present
our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great
mercies.
[19] O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for
thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy
name.
Brenda and Eddie got in the car and began their Thursday evening ritual.
"Where would you like to eat?" "Oh, Eddie, I don't care, anywhere is fine,
really." Eddie's been here before. "Okay, how about The Windmill?" Brenda
bristles. "No, anywhere but there!" Eddie sighs. "So where, then?" Brenda
insists, "Really, anywhere is fine."
It's the stuff of comedy sketches, humourous from a distance
because we know how maddening it is in the moment.
Sometimes it can be that way in our prayer lives too. We're too vague.
In contrast, the prayer in Daniel 9 reveals Daniel boldly saying what he
wants. First, he confesses the sins of his people: "We have sinned
and done wrong" (v. 5). Then he makes his requests. "Now, our God,
hear the prayers and petitions of your servant" (v. 17). "Lord, listen!
Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act" (v. 19). God owed nothing to Daniel,
but such was Daniel's trust in God's "great mercy" (v. 18) that he felt
free to bring the full weight of his desires to Him.
It's always right to pray "not as I will, but as you will," as Jesus
prayed to His Father the night before He was crucified (Matthew 26:39).
But there are also times when saying what we want is the way forward.
God honours our boldness when we come before Him with repentant hearts. So
be bold, pray what's on your heart, and entrust it to the God of great mercy.
Reflect & Pray
How do your prayers compare to Daniel 9:4-19?
What might you need to confess before making your requests to God?
Now, my God, please hear the prayers of Your servant.
To learn more, check out Forgiveness & Reconciliation Reading Plan.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 5 Rejoice in Grace - Day 1 Call to the Lord - 2 Samuel 22:3-4
3 (Ge 15:1; Ps 9:9) the God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my fortress and my sanctuary;
my Savior, You save me from violence.
4 (Ps 48:1; 96:4) I call upon the Lord, who is praiseworthy,
and I am saved from my enemies.
3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust:
He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge,
My saviour; thou savest me from violence.
4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised:
So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
In the old Days of Television Western, we could always tell who the enemy was.
The bad guys wore black hats; the evil villain had a scar across
his cheek or a patch over one eye. But real life is
not quite so simple . Enemies come in many forms, and often are not easy to
recognise. Sin is an enemy; even those we love can seek
to undermine our faith;
modern materialism and distorted values lead us away from biblical principles.
These enemies may not seek our death in a physical sense,
but their influence results in spiritual death or, at the very least,
immaturity.
Yet God promises to rescue us from our enemies. David describes the Lord as a
"rock", a "shield", a "stronghold", and a "refuge". God provides a stable
foundation for our faith; he products us from the attacks of the enemy;
he offers a place of rest in battle.
Our battles are usually not physical ones, but rather spiritual
and emotional wars.
We struggle with difficult relationships, the burdens of the past,
the subtle accusations of the devil.
But these enemies can be overcome. David says,
"I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise" .
When we turn to the Lord, trust his Word, acknowledge his
worthiness, we put our own problems and difficulties in perspective.
We see that God is able to rescue us, and has promised to do so.
And as we respond to his grace by focusing
on him, we abandon trust in ourselves and allow him to do what he promised.
Application
a) What kinds of enemies do I face?
b) How have I tried to deal with those enemies by myself?
c) How can today's verses help me turn to the sources of my rescue?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Gen 13:2,5-6,14-17
2 (Ge 24:35; Ps 112:1-3) Abram was very wealthy in livestock,
in silver and in gold.
5 Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.
6 (Ge 36:6-7) But the land was not able to support them
both dwelling together because their possessions were so great.
14 (Ge 28:14; Dt 3:27) After Lot had departed from him,
the Lord said to Abram,
"Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are,
northward and southward and eastward and westward.
15 (Ge 12:7; 2Ch 20:7) All the land that you see I will give to you
and to your descendants forever.
16 (Ge 28:14; Nu 23:10) I will make your descendants like the dust
of the earth, so that if a man could number the dust of the earth,
then your descendants could also be numbered.
17 Arise, and walk throughout the land across its length
and its width, for I will give it to you."
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together:
for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him,
Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward,
and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it,
and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man
can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it;
for I will give it unto thee.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Generous Provision
Ps 145:13b-21
13 Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait upon You,
and You give them their food in due season.
16 You open Your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways
and loving in all His works.
18 The Lord is near to all those who call upon Him,
to all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and will save them.
20 The Lord preserves all those who love Him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all people bless His holy name
forever and ever.
13 And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14 The LORD upholdeth all that fall,
And raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait upon thee;
And thou givest them their meat in due season.
16 Thou openest thine hand,
And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways,
And holy in all his works.
18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him,
To all that call upon him in truth.
19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him:
He also will hear their cry, and will save them.
20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him:
But all the wicked will he destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD:
And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.