Daniel asks his friends to pray for him, because he realizes that he cannot do this in his own strength. The Lord must give him the strength. The only God must show him what Nebuchadnezzar has dreamed and its explanation. The wise men are not in touch with any real gods. The prayer for Daniel is directed that the court may see that the Lord is the only true God and that Daniel is in his service.
Daniel is eager to save not only his friends, but also the other wise men and in this he shows his love for his neighbours.
Why does Daniel make this request? How can he think he can get something done when the most prominent people at the court could not get it done? The reason is not that he thinks highly of himself, but because he lives with confidence in the only God, the Almighty. We see this when Daniel returns home from the palace. He does not say in a pretentious way that he will now go to the king to reveal the dream and give its interpretation. He tells his friends that he has heard from Arioch how critical the situation is. He asks his friends to pray for God’s help. The Lord is the only one who can give salvation now. Only the Lord is able to show Daniel what Nebuchadnezzar has dreamed and he is also the only One who can give the explanation of it. Daniel and his friends are not going to study the stars, draw horoscopes or seek contact with all kinds of spirits and supernatural powers. Nor do they make up a scheme by which they might deceive the king. In their distress, they go to the Lord and seek their strength in deep dependence on him. They intercede for God’s help. We see in this chapter the power of prayer as we read about it in James 5:16, For the prayer of a righteous man has great power and will not miss its effect.
18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.