(Daniel 10:1-21)
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and it concerned great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision.
2 In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. 3 I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris, 5 I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man dressed in linen, whose waist had a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. 6 His body also was like topaz, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7 Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great fear fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my complexion turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. 9 But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
10 Then behold, a hand touched me and shook me on my hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, “Daniel, you who are treasured, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand at your place, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing in my way for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days, because the vision pertains to the days still future.”
15 When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16 And behold, one who resembled a human was touching my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who was standing before me, “My lord, due to the vision anguish has come upon me, and I have retained no strength. 17 For how can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, there remains just now no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me.”
18 Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “You who are treasured, do not be afraid. Peace be to you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I felt strengthened and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20 Then he said, “Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am leaving, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. 21 However, I will tell you what is recorded in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
If anyone ever wondered why they should only pray to the Lord God, and not to people or angels, this passage should give some understanding. Obviously, we should not pray to or put our faith into people (dead or alive). Those who have died do not become angels or ghosts. Even those who are believers, when they die, they are "asleep in the Lord" until the rapture (1Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1Corinthians 15:12-28). Those who are alive clearly do not have much strength or wisdom compared to even just the angels, never mind compared to God, Himself, whose power is more than all powers put together!!!
The Lord God desires us to know Him, and have a close relationship with Him! It is He who loves us and came in flesh to die for us! And God, who fights our battles, and is Commander and Chief, asks us to speak directly to Him! Because He alone is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, and He cares, He knows exactly what we need, when we need it, and how we need it! Therefore, when we are in trouble, who are we to ask God to send us His angels???!!! If we need any angels, God will send them!
There are unseen forces at work and at war which we are not meant to see. ONCE in a while, God might open our eyes to allow us a peek. When it is His ministering angels sent to help us, we are not to become enamored with angels, but we are to continue looking to, praying to, talking to, trusting in, and worshiping Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of hosts - the Lord of armies, Himself!
Now, if and when God allows us to see, hear, feel or sense the realm of Satan, it is a test! This is definitely something we SHOULD NOT desire! While we do not have to fear, we are not to be curious, or complicit, or think that we can control, manipulate, or "fight" those demons. We are to continue looking to the Lord, resist the devil, and stand firm in faith, which requires the full armor of God. And we should remember Jesus' victory over Satan, use scripture to combat attacks, and stay alert and watching against his schemes.
Notice how Daniel reacted by knowing and seeing just a very tiny portion of the angelic spiritual realm! God knows what we need to see and know! And as we pray to the Lord for strength and guidance, He will send out His angels as He sees fit.
From this passage, we can also see that when we ask for guidance from the Lord, we should also ask Him for His strength. What God asks of us, whether it seems daunting or not, requires His strength. If we truly understood the spiritual warfare that happens all around us and around the world, we would truly understand the need for God's strength and guidance to be in every detail of our lives.
Like if we bought a home, and we could get insurance to cover 100% of any wear, tear or damages for life, we'd be putting our confidence in that, and enjoying the house without any worries. If we worked in a dangerous area, and we could hire the best body guards to protect us 100%, we'd be putting our confidence in that, so we could focus on what needed to be done. If we played the roughest form of sports, and we could buy the best equipment to prevent 100% of all injuries, we'd be putting our confidence in that, and we'd be playing the game aggressively without fear. And if we were entering a marriage, and we could find a person who was 100% perfect, and guaranteed to remain 100% faithful, loving and kind, we would certainly appreciate this relationship!
Of course, none of these guarantees exist! But God does, and He is 100% perfect and His promises are 100% guaranteed! Therefore, we can be confident in knowing that God is always there, that He is more powerful than all powers put together, and He knows everything! Not only that, but we do not have to fear anyone or anything. As we trust in and depend on the Lord, we can definitely BE confident, strong and courageous. This is not a feeling, but a choice. And this can be accomplished only through the Lord, and only by having a personal relationship with Him!
No comments:
Post a Comment