Daniel 10:12

Then he continued, “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 ~ Daniel 10:12

Daniel was extremely devoted to prayer. Three times a day he would get on his knees and speak to God. I recently heard this comment about Daniel and his prayers, and though I am not quoting it exact, the essence was that Daniel was not only devoted, but that he never fell asleep during his prayers. When we are on our knees, sleep does not come! Now, that may sound like a bit of jesting, but the truth is, when on our knees in prayer we show a devotion not found while praying in an easy chair, for being on our knees is very uncomfortable! God now replies to Daniel, telling him his devotions are accepted and his prayers are heard. At this point in Daniel’s life, he had spent three weeks in prayer, in fasting, in inquiring of God through his own affliction to find a way for his people to return to the promised land, and to know what was God calling him to do to bring this about. Fasting and prayer are ways we too can come to God for answers, for wisdom. It is a discipline well worth the practice it entails. Sometimes, like Daniel, we feel we are in this state for a long time with no answers. Here we are assured that though answers may not come on our time, they do come in God’s time. Weeks, months, years may pass by before God’s purpose is made known, and there may be some reason we cannot understand or know which causes delay. Daniel would have found great joy in knowing during those three long weeks that an angel was soon arriving with communication from God, just as our hearts cry out in joy and our tears cease when we believe God does and will answer our prayers. God always observes when we do our soul work through prayer, it is what makes our prayers successful. Our trials are opportunities to exercise our faith, and our graces, which through prayer are always improved.

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:26

Image
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans ~ Romans 8:26 Many days, many times, I have the words for prayer. It comes forth and flows fairly naturally as I converse with my Lord God. I hope in the God I worship to hear me, and to receive my words, as I pray in the name of Jesus and believe in Him, my intercessor. He is my Living Saviour, my High Priest, standing at the right hand of God the Father. But there are times when my pain has been so deep that my words will not come. There are times when my agony is so piercing that what words I may speak would not be enough. And so, in my deep, black moments, I come before my God and let my darkest emotions erupt in sounds that only He can understand. The Holy Spirit within me cries out in my stead, and He becomes my second intercessor. It is not that He is not there with me in all my prayers, but there are times wh...
Read more

Proverbs 18:2

Image
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in sharing their own opinions ~ Proverbs 18:2 If we are going to understand something, we must fully digest it so that when we speak, we speak with wisdom. When we have only half truths in our mind, our words become empty and senseless. We then puff out air rather than understanding when we speak. A wise person will want to improve their mind through learning in various ways from the world around them. A person who delights in spiritual understanding will find peace and enjoyment in reading the Word of God on a daily basis, and in participating with God’s people in a learning and praising environment – the church! We come together in corporate worship with the understanding that not one of us knows all things, but we bend our mind and heart to learn what God has to show and say to us. A foolish person makes a show of what they “know” to please their friends or to save face in front of them. More often a wise person will hold t...
Read more

Isaiah 43:19

Image
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert ~ Isaiah 43:19 When we meet a challenge, we are often found discouraged, lost, even hopeless. Nothing is working, everything seems to be against us. We do not know how to move forward, so we remain curled up in a ball. Then, a glimmer of light shines through! Hope is regained and movement is stirred within. Don’t we become excited when we begin to feel it? God moves like that. We cannot see our way around it, but He can and does. And He makes a way for us out of the calamity of our fears. It is the feeling of springtime after a long winter, or the smell of fresh cut grass. Life stirs within and we move and we see what God saw all the time – the answer to our dilemma. Our desert place becomes an oasis, and we can do what we are called to do. Something totally unexpected happens, something unheard of, but it begins in our life, and we feel the...
Read more