STAND: COURAGE FROM THE BOOK OF DANIEL And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. Daniel 10:11-12 NLT For the remainder of the book of Daniel, we read about some of the prophetic dreams and their interpretations Daniel was given by God. These dreams were largely about the wickedness that was taking place during Daniel’s time, and foretold events that were still to come in his day, and will occur in the last days. Daniel’s experience from today’s reading in chapter 10 is a prime example of how God does hear our prayers, sees us when we’re in sorrow, and acts on our behalf even when it may seem like He’s silent. Daniel was in such misery he was face down on the ground in a deep sleep until he is told in verse 11 to stand up so he can see for himself that God does indeed care for him and hears him. We’ve all experienced hurt in our lives. You may be enduring enormous pain right this moment. During those times it’s easy to feel like God doesn’t hear your prayers. You’ve probably asked, “Why God?” and felt like there was no response. When you’re in those darkest of moments and feel all alone, stand up and realize that God does indeed care for you, love you, and hear your prayers even when you think He doesn’t. If you’ve humbled yourself before God and surrendered your entire life to Him just as Daniel did, then God sees you as He saw Daniel as being “highly esteemed.” You’re locked into a battle with your spiritual enemy, Satan, and that’s going to lead to times of pain and sorrow, but take heart and stand up when you fall. God is on your side and will never let go of His undying love for you. More importantly, maybe you need to stand up to what’s going on around you. So many people today are caught up in their routines and busyness of life that they’ve become blinded to the world around them. Our hearts should break for what breaks the heart of God. We should mourn for the lost, the broken, the hurting, our nations, and our world. Daniel saw things differently from what those around him saw, and his heart broke for the evil that was around him—and the devastation that was to come. If our hearts were more like Daniel, then we would be better poised to take a stand to make a difference in this world for Christ. As you finish reading and praying today, ask yourself: What things are keeping me distracted from the brokenness around me? What will I do to remove these distractions?
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 12:26:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015