Daniel’s Prayer For Forgiveness

A Prayer of Confession, Humility, and Mercy

Daniel 9 contains one of the most remarkable prayers of repentance found in all of Scripture.

Although Daniel was known for his faithfulness to God, he did not approach the Lord with pride or self-righteousness. Instead, he humbled himself through prayer, fasting, confession, and repentance.

Daniel’s prayer teaches us that forgiveness begins with honesty before God. It reminds us that God’s mercy is greater than our failures and that true repentance involves acknowledging our sins and turning back to Him.

If you are seeking forgiveness, restoration, or a renewed relationship with God, Daniel’s prayer provides a powerful example of humility and dependence upon the Lord.

Daniel’s Prayer for Forgiveness

Daniel 9:3-19 – KJV (Prayer for forgiveness)

And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 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;

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.

O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11. Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.

As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 14. Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

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.

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.

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.

Reflection

One of the most striking aspects of Daniel’s prayer is that he includes himself in the confession.

Repeatedly, Daniel says:

“We have sinned.”

Even though Daniel was one of the most faithful men in Scripture, he identified with the people and humbled himself before God.

Daniel understood that forgiveness begins with acknowledging the truth.

He did not blame others.

He did not make excuses.

He did not attempt to justify sin.

Instead, he confessed it openly before the Lord.

One of the most beautiful statements in this prayer is found in verse 9:

“To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses.”

What a powerful reminder.

God’s mercy is not earned.

God’s forgiveness is not deserved.

Both are gifts that flow from His grace.

Daniel also recognized that his hope rested not in human righteousness but in God’s mercy:

“For we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.”

This remains true today.

We approach God not because we are worthy, but because He is merciful.

Closing Encouragement

No matter what mistakes you have made, God’s mercy is greater.

When you come before Him with humility, honesty, and a repentant heart, you will find a God who is ready to forgive.

Like Daniel, take time to seek the Lord sincerely.

Confess your sins.

Trust His mercy.

Walk in His forgiveness.

And remember that through Jesus Christ, restoration is always possible.

Continue Your Journey

• A PRAYER FOR HOPE
• A PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS
• A PRAYER FOR DEVINE HELP
• A LIFE CHANGING PRAYER
• A PRAYER FOR TROUBLE

Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the KING JAMES VERSION (KJV): KING JAMES VERSION, public domain in The United States. Pathway365 is based in the United States and is governed by its laws. Outside of the United States, you’ll need to check the copyright laws in your country before use.

Scripture quotations from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press