While praying about what this month’s Call to Prayer would look like, one word came to mind: repentance. Repentance comes from the Greek word metanoia, which means “to change one’s mind.” It is more than just feeling sorrow over a past mistake; it is a shifting in thinking and perspective that leads to transformed actions.

The Book of Daniel describes how Daniel modeled repentance when he was a captive in Babylon: “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, ‘Oh Lord, great and awesome God, Who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments….we have sinned, we have done wickedly….O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act!’” (Daniel 9:3-5,15,19, NKJV).

Daniel himself had done no wrong; he was a righteous, praying man. Yet, he repented on behalf of himself and his people– the Hebrew people– who were captives of Babylon. Daniel saw the wrong done by his own people and cried out for forgiveness for the judgment they received for walking away from God, modeling what is often called identificational repentance (which means repenting on behalf of someone else).

I have personally prayed prayers of repentance over not-so-good things from my Dutch-Canadian heritage as well as over sins in my family line, and I’ve seen breakthrough not only for myself but for other family members as well.

Daniel’s prayer was met with a powerful response from God: the angel Gabriel came to give him a message from God (Daniel 9:21-23), and the angel Michael came to deal with the prince of the kingdom of Persia (Daniel 10:13).

This image from Daniel has been seared on my mind for many years: “Then he said to me, ‘Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words’” (Daniel 10:12).

Therein lies the power of humbling ourselves, repenting, and praying. Our words are heard on high, and assistance is sent. Help comes because of our words to an all-powerful God. May we never cease to speak these words!