MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014
He said to me, “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.”—Daniel 10:12
An interesting story in the Old Testament book of Daniel offers us a rare, behind-the scenes look at what happens when we pray. The Bible tells us that Daniel was praying and that his prayer reached heaven. God heard Daniel’s prayer and dispatched an angel with a special message for Daniel. But the angel who was sent from heaven was held up for twenty-one days because he was engaged in spiritual warfare with a powerful demon spirit. As a result, God dispatched Michael the archangel. (You might say that Michael is a head honcho among angels.) Michael was sent, who overruled the demon power, and the answer eventually was brought to Daniel. But it took twenty-one days for the answer to get there.
Sometimes when God doesn’t answer our prayers as quickly as we would like Him to, we think that He is letting us down. We need to understand that delays aren’t necessarily denials.
When we pray and don’t see an answer as quickly as we would like, it may be a result of circumstances that we can’t see. There might even be a spiritual battle raging behind the scenes. Maybe you’ve been praying for someone to come to know the Lord. Maybe you’ve been asking God to heal you. Perhaps you’ve been asking the Lord to open doors of opportunity for you to serve Him. Don’t give up. Don’t be discouraged. Keep praying. Jesus said to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking, and the door would be opened. So be persistent. And watch what God will do.
TODAY’S RADIO PROGRAM:”Things to Do Before the End of the World — I”
TODAY’S BIBLE READING: Numbers 32-33, Mark 10
DONATE TO HARVEST
Used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.
