The Christ in Prophecy Journal

The Mighty Angels of Daniel 10: The Effective Prayer Warrior

MP3: The Mighty Angels of Daniel 10 Continued
Hosts: Nathan Jones & Vic Batista

The Effective Prayer Warrior

Vic Batista: As Christians in this modern-day world, we often forget how real is the demonic realm. In light of that understanding, we must then realize how effective humble prayer is. Prayer can become a feel good sort of thing that we do to make us feel better, but the Bible teaches that a Christian’s humble prayer actually dispatches angelic beings to war against the demonic realm.

Christian #prayer dispatches #angels to war against the demonic realm. Click To Tweet

Nathan Jones: Yes, and that is exactly what happened in Daniel 10. Daniel prayed to God, and God dispatched an awe-inspiring angel to answer Daniel’s prayer. While this sounds simple, this glorious angel sent to Daniel didn’t have an easy journey. Once with Daniel, the angel gives us a little behind the scenes about what caused him a three week delay. Remember Daniel was fasting and praying for three weeks, and he might not have had to wait those three weeks had it not been for the spiritual warfare between God’s mighty angels and Satan’s evil demons.

Vic Batista: Let’s pick up our study of Daniel 10 beginning with verse 12 through verse 15. Let us navigate this incredible passage!

Nathan Jones: To catch the reader up a bit, in Daniel 10:10-11, we read that Daniel had lost his energy. Not only was the prophet weak from hunger, but the magnificent appearance of the angel had robbed him of any remaining energy. So, the angel touched the old man and strength returned to him. Re-energized, Daniel now had the ability to listen to God’s messenger, and this is what the angel proclaimed:

“Then 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. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.’ When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless.”

Vic Batista: A bit of wisdom that jumps out to me in verse 12 is: “Since the first day that he had set his heart to understand and to humble himself.” As soon as Daniel started to reach out to God in the right mindset — a humble heart — movement began in the angelic realm. A right heart causes major events to take place.

Nathan Jones: The angel reveals how well Christians are connected to God. Daniel lived during the Old Testament and so did not have the access believers in Christ have today in being indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Once saved and indwelt by the third member of the Trinity, we’ve got a direct line to God, whereas before the Old Testament Saints only had sporadic encounters with God.

Look how the angel describes Daniel’s behavior when he went about seeking God’s guidance. First, Daniel had set his heart to understanding. In other words, he was open to whatever God was going to reveal to him, either positive or negative. Second, Daniel had humbled himself before the Lord. When Daniel had both set his heart to understand God’s will and approached the Lord humbly in prayer, that was when his words were heard by God. What a fantastic formula for Christians today! When seeking God’s direction for our lives, start with a humble, open heart.

When seeking God's direction for our lives, start with a humble, open heart. Click To Tweet

Vic Batista: How true! Sometimes we Christians approach God like He is the Santa Claus of Heaven. We expect God has to do this or that for us because we are His children. Clearly that’s not the right approach. Always go to the Lord humbly when making our requests, and God will listen.

Nathan Jones: Sure, we are merely human. I don’t know how many times I’ve gone to the Lord in frustration as I wait and wait for an answer that never seems to arrive. At times we can wait for months and months, and even sometimes years, seeking an answer to our prayers, but nothing.

When we’re frustrated by God’s seeming indifference to our own schedules, we should look to Daniel. The prophet approached God patiently, willing to take whatever God was going to reply with in humble supplication. Daniel approached God humbly, knowing full well that God was far superior in knowledge and loving kindness. God is omniscient, meaning He knows everything. He’s got all the strings of history wound together. God also knows the best will for our lives.

What a fantastic example Daniel models for us! He stands as a reminder that we must apply a humble trust in God when seeking His guidance.

Vic Batista: Surely the hardest part in trusting God is being willing to accept whatever His will is in response to our prayers. Sometimes God says “No,” sometime He says “Yes,” and sometimes God says “Wait.” The third requires our patience trust in God’s perfect will.

Nathan Jones: Waiting for God to answer can be the worst!

Vic Batista: True that! As a pastor I hear that statement all the time. I really believe that patient waiting stands as a vital test of our Christianity. Are we content when God says nothing? Are we content when He makes us wait for an answer? Usually not! There’s a reason why, though. God prepares His children. Daniel prays, but God’s answer wasn’t immediate. Likewise, when we pray, understand that God may be preparing us with some extra needed time.

Patient waiting stands as a vital test of our #Christianity. Click To Tweet

Nathan Jones: Right, as the old saying goes, “It’s not the destination that’s important, but the journey.” As we grow to become more Christ-like, to be called Christians, for we are little christs by example, we bloom into becoming more Christ-like. The journey acts as an essential part of our life walk and in our sanctification process so that we become more holy. As the Lord works through us, He sculpts us to be more like Him.

So, yes, often times the journey is more important than the destination. Sometimes God’s answer isn’t as important as how He changes us before He finally reveals that answer. Sure, God is all powerful and could have opened up the way so that the angel could have showed up to Daniel on day one, but Daniel fasted and prayed for three weeks before he got his answer, and that extra time aided in Daniel’s spiritual growth.

Another reason God made Daniel wait I believe is because God desires Christians today to witness a wonderful example of a man of faith. God deemed to show us the prayer journey Daniel endured so that we would learn a very important lesson, that being often times the journey can be more important than the destination.

Vic Batista: We learn from Daniel 10 that as soon as we begin to pray, God goes to work, even if it is in His own timing and His own way. Daniel also teaches us that when we do pray, we should do so humbly. And, when we call upon the Lord, we should be open to whatever action or inaction He deems necessary in His own perfect knowledge.

While we wait upon the Lord, Christians should continue to take action against the evil forces that are warring around us. God’s orders remain, even while we’re waiting for new instructions.

In the fortieth segment of this series on the mighty angels of Daniel, we’ll identify the troublesome Prince of the Kingdom of Persia.

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

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