Hindered but not Stopped

Daniel 10: 12

“Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from 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.”

It can be very discouraging to pray for something and see no results. Daniel had the same experience. Verse 13 says that the “spirit prince” of the kingdom of Persia withstood the angel God sent for twenty-one days. Isn’t that amazing? From the very first prayer Daniel uttered, God dispatched His angel with the answers Daniel needed. Twenty days passed without Daniel seeing an answer to his prayer. However, on the twenty-first day, the angel arrived and greeted Daniel.

Don’t you find this passage fascinating? It is a glimpse into the spiritual realm. We learn that the bad angel of that region was able to hinder God’s angel. There are angels and then there are angels, and they are not all of the same strength and power. The angel who spoke with Daniel told him that the arch-angel Michael went to his aid. He was withheld until Michael showed up and helped him. Wow!

There is much going on in the spiritual realm of which we are mostly unaware but take heart. There is much good news in this passage. First, from the moment Daniel first prayed, God sent His angel with the answer. Yahoo! That is what we all need to hear. Second, even though Satan tried to prevent the angel from getting through to Daniel, God prevailed; as He always does and as He always will. Yahoo again!

There is a very important lesson in this too. Don’t give up! Jesse Duplantis says, “Don’t be defeated by time.” In other words, just because you have not seen the answer to your prayer yet does not mean that God has not answered it. Hang in there! Remember God’s answer is “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1: 20). There are, though, hinderances to prayer. You do not need to concern yourself with what they are actually. All you need to do is keep your confession of faith in your mouth. Remember, overcoming is achieved through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12: 11). So, we must keep our words in agreement with the Word of God and keep praying in faith. That means that we don’t need to beg to God, repeating the same petition over and over. No, instead we use that prayer time to talk with the Lord, to give voice to the Bible scriptures that speak to our need and to wrap it all up with thanksgiving and praise.

Persevere in prayer because the Lord is in agreement with you. Sometimes, it takes time. Keep making your positive confessions of faith. You may have to break through a battle that is going on in the spiritual realm and you can do that with the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony.

Angelic Action

Psalm 103: 20

Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!

You may or may not know much about angels. Here is one scripture that gives us some insight into their position in the Kingdom of God and relevance to our lives. Their role is to perform God’s word. When God wants a thing done, he speaks it and the angels go into action to perform that which he has spoken.

Romans 4: 17 says that God “calls into being that which does not exist.” He speaks out his word, calls light to be or whatever result he desires, and then his angels go about accomplishing that which was spoken. He has angels just standing by waiting to be given their marching orders. They await the spoken word of God and as soon as they hear it they hearken to it.

In the book of Daniel, the tenth chapter and twelfth verse, the angel responding to Daniel’s petitions said, “Your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.”

The angels are listening and awaiting the spoken word. When we speak God’s word, they are attracted to it. If you speak God’s word into a situation, then the angels are going to hearken to His word and fulfill it in the situation that you have spoken God’s word over. So, if you are in need of healing, speak healing scriptures. If you have needs to be met, speak God’s provision scriptures. No matter what situation you are challenged by, there is a specific word of God in the Bible that is applicable. Find that word and speak it until the might of God shows up on the scene.