I was reading in Daniel the other day, chapter 10. Daniel is in a state of distress. He is praying for days and days, a full three weeks it says. He does not give up seeking God regarding his problem. Finally after 21 days an angel appears to him. I laugh a little at something the angel says. It almost sounds to me like, “Hey, you have no idea what it has taken for me to get here Daniel. I have been fighting against the Prince of Persia, but I’m here now. Here is the answer to what you have prayed for”. And he tells Daniel the interpretation of the dream that had so disturbed him. Then the angel is ready to depart and he says, and I paraphrase, “Now, I’ve got to go and fight with the Prince of Greece!”
He had been delayed in reaching Daniel because he had been engaged in a battle and now he was leaving again to wage warfare with more fallen angels and their evil agendas.
Busy. Busy. Busy.
I thought about that for a moment in the context of things that have me in a state of distress lately. While I pray and seek and wait for God’s help to come and the answers I need there are two things I realize. One, Daniel did not quit praying after 20 days. He prayed until the answer came. Perseverance is a word that comes up again and again in the pages of the Bible. Staying the course, enduring, being committed while we wait is important. What we do while we are waiting is important. What if Daniel had given up praying while his answer was still on the way? I need to pray until the answer comes.
The second thing I realize is that there are things God allows me to see and things that are not for me to see.
There are battles being fought in the spiritual realm that I am completely unaware of. God has commanded angels concerning me and sent them out to do battle on my behalf. God is merciful to shield me and protect me from seeing what would surely terrify me.
2 Chronicles 20:17 tells the story of a king who had many vast armies coming against him. He cried out to God for help. “Lord, we don’t know what to do but our eyes are on you!” The Lord said “Don’t be afraid. You will not have to fight this battle. The battle is mine. Just take up your position, stand firm and see the deliverance I will bring for you.” God is fighting for me and you. We can’t see it and are mostly unaware it is going on. But he tells us if we stand firm in our position of praying for what we need, praising him for his ability to do it, and we are firm in our faith while we wait, what we will see is the victory and the deliverance that he will win on our behalf.
Friends, don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope. Don’t make determinations on outcomes based only on what you can see. Our understanding of what forces are at work on our behalf is incomplete at best. It is more accurate to say that we have NO idea what is going on in the heavenly realm, far beyond what we can see.
Take up your position. Stand firm and unafraid. God fights for you. Wait and See the deliverance the Lord has for you.
