In our last visit we considered Daniel’s prayer recorded in Daniel 9. It was a prayer prompted by God’s promise. It began with worship and then went into confession. It concluded with an intense request to forgive, restore the city of Jerusalem and the people of God for His name sake and for His glory.
While he was still praying, Gabriel, came to him in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. His reason for coming to him was to give him insight and understanding about what was going to take place. He said, “As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.”
While Daniel was agonizing in prayer the answer was already on its way. Isn’t that great?
The answer had immediate as well as future relevance. God gave him an answer that was as Paul put it in Ephesians 3:20, “Immeasurably more than all” he had asked or imagined.
When you read on in Daniel 10 you see Daniel seeking the face of God again for three weeks. All of a sudden a man, brilliantly arrayed, stood before him. Daniel was stunned.
This messenger from God said this, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.”
Take time to reflect on these experiences in prayer. We’ll consider this further in our next visit.
