Our prayers and the angels in heaven.

Daniel 10:12
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. (NIV)

Daniel was living in exile in Babylon. His heart hurt for Israel’s decay during this time. He asked God for answers and God sends an angel with wisdom and revelation.

The angel first tells him not to be afraid. When we go to God for answers but do not hear from Him, we can become discouraged. But we must never become discouraged but instead wait for the Lord trusting He has heard us.

The angel tells Daniel that he had been sent by the Lord immediately as soon as Daniel prayed. We may not always see it, but God hears our prayers, and He is active to send help and give wisdom.

The context of this Scripture is full of spiritual warfare. This angel had been trying to get to Daniel, but the “King of Persia” had hindered him. This is not an earthly king, but a demon with dominion over all of Persia. This was a powerful demon who stalled the angel for 21 days. Then, the archangel Michael, one of the chief angels of Heaven came to help this angel overcome the King of Persia and he did and came to Daniel.

The waiting Daniel was experiencing was caused by spiritual warfare. The Holy Spirit is at work within us and around us. But when we need something from the Lord outside of ourselves, He will use angels who move according to His command. Angels take many forms in Scripture including human appearance. The book of Hebrews warns us to be hospitable to strangers because they might be angels.

The prayer of Daniel prompted God to send an angel to help him. When this angel needed help, God sent the archangel Michael to do battle. Consider the impact of our prayers on Heavenly warfare. We may not see it, but angels are on the march according to our prayer to defeat demons who are also at work destroying lives.

God has made us active soldiers in celestial warfare. By making us participants in this warfare, our prayers draw us to Him in difficult moments. God is able, but this is His method of keeping us near. How often do we feel God has abandoned us when He is really calling us to prayer. And if our prayers move the spiritual realm, how much more should we be praying.

Prayer: Lord, help me to pray without ceasing for God’s will, for wisdom, for healing, for salvation, and trust You hear and move on my prayers. Amen.

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