Daniel 10-12

September 23

Daniel 10-12

Do you ever wonder why your prayers are not answered immediately? There is mystery in the power and the answering of prayers. Daniel saw a vision in 10:7 and he was told that the words he prayed to God were heard immediately, but that the response was delayed due to spiritual warfare. The good news is that the response may have been delayed, but it was not stopped. When we pray, we can know that God hears our prayer. Though we may not get the answer we want, God hears us. Though we may not see any response immediately, we can know that God hears.

When Daniel encountered the holy vision, he was left weak and helpless, but the man said; "“Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”" (Daniel 10:19, NIV)  We face struggles in this world. We are involved in spiritual warfare even when we don’t know it or understand what is happening. But when we receive the peace of God, the struggles of this world cease.

Paul wrote: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV) As we lift up our prayer and petitions with thanksgiving, the peace of God guards our hearts. Our prayers may not be answered when we want them answered. They may not even be answered the way we want them answered, but we can be sure that God hears our prayers and answers our prayers and if we put our trust in Him, He will give us strength and peace to persevere down the path He has called us to follow.