To Whom Do You Turn?

In previous posts I have mentioned some of the deliverance God brought to His people in the book of Daniel. This book is also rich with visions and their interpretations as God reveals to Daniel what is to come. Some of these things happened at the time they were told, and others are still in waiting.

At one point in Daniel's life he was given a vision of the destruction of Jerusalem. He was troubled and sought God for an interpretation. God sent Gabriel to tell of the destruction of the temple, and to give instructions that it should be rebuilt. There was to be a time between its destruction and the rebuilding of it, but it would be rebuilt, under God's orders. Daniel was still troubled, and went into mourning for three full weeks.

I would like to take a look at a passage today in the effects of prayer. Daniel went immediately before God with his vision and the trouble it caused him. God sent forth a messenger right away, both at the initial out-cry from Daniel, and at the point of his lamenting over the interpretation of the vision (9:23; 10:12). On the second occasion, however, the messenger was unable to come to him right away. He was kept in battle in the heavens with the "Prince of Persia." The whole of the three weeks Daniel was in mourning, his messenger was in holy war on his behalf. It took as second angel, Michael, to come to his aid for God's messenger to Daniel to make his way to Daniel.

There are three important lessons I hope we all learn from these passages. First, Daniel went to God immediately. How often are we content to seek out the counsel of other people before we seek out God? There is value in the counsel of God's people (Proverbs 11:14), but our first turning must be to God, for only He can give the answer we need, through whatever means He chooses.

Second, God is ready immediately with His answer. As I mentioned above, God's messengers were sent out at the first cry from Daniel. We may not see the answer until later, and we must continue to press forward until that answer is revealed. We are in a battle that is not flesh and blood but heavenly (Ephesians 6), so often our answers to prayer will be held off in the midst of that battle. We must continue to press in and seek God, no matter how long it takes.

Last, we must also recognize that God always answers those who are His children. This answer may look completely different from what we expect, but God still sends an answer. In Daniel's case, we know that the temple was destroyed, rebuilt, and again destroyed after the life of Christ. There is still trouble in the holy land, and there are constant battles over the ownership of this land. God did not hold off any said destruction from coming to His land and His people, but He did offer a much better hope, that of Jesus Christ. He is our hope, and the only one who can save us from a destruction that runs much futher than any physical destruction we could imagine. Who is your hope today?