LIFE SCRIPTS

Daniel 10:1-21

Daniel was a man given to prayer and fasting. In this passage, he decided to pray and fast for three weeks seeking the Lord earnestly. This was after it was revealed to him how the final days on earth would be. It disturbed him so much that he took it upon himself to seek God earnestly. This wasn’t a prayer for his own personal needs but one where he sought God for the salvation of generations. But scripture alludes to some events that took place in the realm of the spirit even as Daniel sought God. Daniel and his companions encountered a spiritual being such as the one stated in the book of Revelation. Going by his description, he seemed to be one of the angelic messengers sent by God to minister to Daniel during this time of distress in prayer. In fact, the angelic being said in verse 12 that God heard and responded to Daniel’s prayer from the first day. However a spiritual event delayed his arrival to minister to Daniel. The angelic being spoke of a demonic spirit called the Prince of Persia that fought him delaying his progress. Ultimately as Daniel travailed in prayer, the Lord sent the Archangel Michael who defeated the Prince of Persia allowing the Angelic messenger to minister to Daniel. Its not explained why this demonic principality was referred to as the Prince of Persia. However in the starting verses, scripture tells us about the time Daniel was living in: during the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia. It may be that in the demonic world, specific principalities are tasked with responsibilities over various geographical regions as was the case here. But an important lesson to pick from these events is that when we travail in prayer, the Lord hears irrespective of how long the answer will take. When we come to the place of prayer and fasting with a heart desiring to hear from God, He responds. God doesn’t withhold good things from us whom He loves. As we ask Him in accordance to His will, He answers. However, we must remember that prayer is spiritual warfare. When we pray, we cannot see or comprehend what is happening in the spirit. When we pray, God responds to our prayer. However, demonic forces also respond. We must be alive to this truth. Demonic forces are real and powerful and can impede a response to our prayers. Even though we might not see the immediate results of our prayer, we must remember that something is happening in the spirit. But we must also remember that God has placed us in this position to tarry in His presence in prayer. Our spiritual muscles are cultivated in the place of prayer as we continue calling upon God earnestly even in the midst of spiritual opposition because we know that God’s salvation is sure. Our God answers prayer. He is faithful to all those who call unto Him earnestly.