Gabriel Answer Daniel

One old man siddon, one scroll open for im knee, e dey run im finger on top one line again and again. Seventy years. E dey count with im fingers. Then e drop di scroll, and e begin pray.

Im name na Daniel. Dem carry am comot from Jerusalem when e still be teenager, dem carry am travel hundreds of miles go Babylon, and e don live all im adult life far from home. E don serve kings. E don survive lions den. Now Babylon imself don fall, and Daniel don old. Na di first year of Darius, new ruler over di Chaldeans. And Daniel don dey read di words of di prophet Jeremiah, wey dem write long time before. Jeremiah bin talk say Jerusalem go lie down for ruin for seventy years. Daniel raise im head from di page. Di seventy years don almost finish.

So Daniel turn face God. E fast. E wear sackcloth and pour ashes for im head, di old signs wey people dey use show say dem dey mourn. And then e pray one of di most honest prayers for di whole Bible. E no talk say, look how good we be. E talk di opposite. We don sin. We don do wrong. We no hear your servants di prophets. Make you notice di word we. Daniel don dey faithful for many-many years, but e stand with im people and e confess dia sin as im own. But e also know who God be. Lord, you dey righteous, e talk, and you get mercy and you dey forgive. And e end with one plea wey almost dey rush comot from im mouth. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act; no delay, for your own name sake, my God. E no ask because Israel deserve am. E ask because of God big mercy.

And while Daniel still dey talk, still dey confess, still dey pray, somebody don dey there. Na Gabriel, di same messenger wey Daniel bin see for one vision before. E come quick-quick, around di time of di evening offering, di hour wey sacrifice smoke dey rise for di temple for Jerusalem before. Dat temple don be rubble for many years, but Daniel still dey keep im hours. Gabriel talk with gentle voice. Daniel, I don come give you understanding. As you just begin your prayer, di word don comot, and I don come tell you. Why? Because, Gabriel talk, God love you well-well. Imagine to hear dat one. Before you finish to ask, heaven don already answer.

Then Gabriel give Daniel one message wey big pass di one wey e dey pray about. Daniel bin ask about seventy years. Gabriel talk about seventy sevens, seventy weeks of years. For dat time, e talk, God go finish with wrongdoing, e go put end to sin, e go bring righteousness wey go last forever, and e go anoint one place wey holy pass. Dem go rebuild Jerusalem, for time wey get trouble. And then e talk about one person. One Anointed One, one prince, go come. But dem go cut dis Anointed One off, and no be for imself. Di message full of mystery, and Gabriel no explain every detail. Daniel just dey hold one promise wey big pass im own lifetime. God answer no be only say, your people go go home. Na, I dey send somebody.

History support di world wey Daniel live inside. For di British Museum today, one clay barrel dey, wey tiny writing shaped like wedge cover, dem dey call am di Cyrus Cylinder. On top am, Cyrus, di Persian king wey capture Babylon, describe how e return different peoples and dia gods go back to di places where dem bin carry dem from. E no mention di Jews by name, but e match di policy wey di book of Ezra describe, where Cyrus allow di exiles go home to rebuild Jerusalem.

Daniel prayer and Gabriel answer dey for Daniel chapter nine. Many hundred years after, di same angel Gabriel go visit one priest for di temple and one young woman for Nazareth, with news say di one wey God promise don finally dey come. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you pray, na only about today you dey pray, or you ready make God answer you with something wey big pass wetin you ask?