Daniel 10- BLOWS MY MIND!!!
Story time!!!
Read Daniel 10. This is what I’ve learned when our pastor taught on it a while back. Still blows my mind and I think about it constantly.
Isaiah prophesied 150 yrs before Cyrus was born- that he would be born, prophesied him by name!- and foretold of the plan that God had for Cyrus, that he would be the one to give the decree to let God’s people go from Babylon back to their homeland. In Ezra it tells us that in Cyrus’s 1st year of his reign that he gave the decree to let them go. And now in Daniel it says in his 3rd yr of Cyrus’s reign… Daniel is mourning. So why is he mourning if his people should be back in their homeland? We don’t know for sure, but it may be because so few of the people decided to actually go back to their homeland.
Ezra tells us only 49,000 Jews went back to Jerusalem, and there had been 100s of thousands that had been taken captive. During this time you can imagine being in exile the first generation longed for their home..but Ezra tells us the following generations became increasingly more comfortable- which is not a good sign. Babylon is a picture of idolatry, sin, pride, etc.
As Christians, this earth is not our home. The bible says we are not citizens here, but of heaven. We are just pilgrims passing through. If we lose our longing for the things of God, then we need to realize like the Jews in Babylon, we are becoming too comfortable. And the more kingdom minded you get, the more you kind of just feel, I don’t belong here. You look around and think, I don’t enjoy the things that the world is enjoying. I don’t fit in. Even with my family sometimes, I don’t fit in. But we aren’t to feel comfortable here. We should have a longing to be with God’s people and to be in the presence of the Lord.
So we find Daniel- who is in his eighties by now- again praying and fasting! (Fasting is so powerful- it’s putting your in flesh in its place. If we can’t say no to food then we can’t say no to other desires of the flesh. It teaches us to be Spirit led instead of walking in the flesh.) Wow, what an encouragement. To still be seeking the Lord in His Word and prayer!
Now Daniel sees a vision! Very similar to John’s vision in Revelation of Jesus. Seems like he sees Jesus at first and falls down. Says, “I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.”
Next someone touches him on the shoulder, possibly an angel at this point. Think this because this one will need help later- so more likely an angel. But here Daniel is on his face, no strength. This angel touched him and he went to his hands and knees still trembling! He pretty much said, Daniel, greatly beloved (woe, that’s awesome-that’s you and me! eek!!!!!) stand up and listen. So then Daniel stood trembling.
Then he tells Daniel, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.” He’s probably thinking… well what took so long? I’ve been praying and fasting for 21 days!
Then he tells Daniel, the prince of Persia withstood him 21 days until another angel helped. In Eph 6 we learn there is like organization in the spiritual realm and warfare. It says, “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Biblically demons seem to have order and territories and we see that here in Daniel when he mentions “prince of Persia and later the prince of Greece.”
So for 21 days the angel is wrestling a demon, trying to get to Daniel. This is strange to think about. There is spiritual warfare going on all the time. We like to think that demons are somewhere far off…not in our homes or churches, etc. But their desire is to steal, kill, and destroy. So they go where we go, BUT.. so do the angels of God, (and we know that God is stronger and mightier and victorious-because we’ve read the end of the Book! Halellujah!)
Like when Elisha and his servant are talking and the servant is like,”we are surrounded by an army.” Elisha says we outnumber them. His servant has to think..ok 2 verses hundreds of people.. dude, you are really bad at math. Then Elisha says, Lord open his eyes and he sees the Lords army (angels) way outnumbering their enemy. We should learn to be mindful of these things.
Many times when we pray we don’t get immediate answers. Probably because we would just come to get what we want and move on. We would be spoiled brats. As our Daddy He has our best at heart. His desire is know us and have a love relationship. He wants us to pray without ceasing and commune with Him constantly, to know His heart. Second it could be that we are praying amiss, or not in His will. Also, as we see here, there may be spiritual warfare going on.
What would have happened if Daniel didn’t pray through this battle and stopped before the 21 days. What if he stopped praying at 18 days? It’s possible that the answer wouldn’t have come.
How many times do we pray and after a few days move on to something else. We need to be led by the spirit and pray as God leads us to. This is real people. Prayer is powerful! Somehow God has chosen to work through our prayers! How amazing and beautiful! Pray we understand the power of prayer and are urged to interceed for others more! My new motto is to not stop until day 21 (metaphorically of course…it God ask me to pray for 21 years then I will).
1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.
2 Chronicles 7:14 – If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
James 1:5 – If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 – (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;
1 Timothy 2:8 – I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
James 5:16 – The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
