Please enjoy the following guest post from Chaplain Scott Foust:
Daniel 10:12 “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.”
Luke 11:8 “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”
One of the first Christian fiction books I ever read, many years ago, was This Present Darkness, by Frank Peretti. The novel included parallel stories: one story of good versus evil in Ashton, a small, college town; the other a story of angels battling with demons in the spiritual realm. This fascinating tale raised questions in my mind: Is there really an invisible realm where angels and demons exist? Is there really a battle raging between angels and demons in the spiritual realm? Finally, do prayers of the saints affect the outcome of spiritual battles?
To answer these questions, Christians must look to Scripture! In Daniel 10, we read about Daniel’s encounter with an angelic being. Daniel had prayed and fasted for 21 days, asking for understanding related to his recent vision. Afterward, he received a visit from an angel, who provided the understanding Daniel had sought. Interestingly, the angel indicated he would have arrived sooner, except that he was “withstood” by the “prince of the kingdom of Persia.” In other words, the angel had to do battle with a demon before he could get to Daniel. Incredible, right? Ultimately, after a 21-day entanglement, the angel prevailed. This begs the question: What enabled the angel to overcome the demon? The answer: in part, it was Daniel’s persistent prayers!
The account in Daniel 10 informs us that (1) yes, there is indeed a spiritual realm where angelic beings exist; (2) yes, there is indeed a battle raging between angels and demons, which is often reflected in our struggles within our earthly realm; and (3) yes, there is indeed a connection between the prayers of the saints and the success of angels (which influences outcomes on earth).
What if Daniel had stopped praying? How often have we missed a breakthrough because we quit praying too soon? Sometimes the answers to our issues may not be as logical as we tend to think. Sometimes, the answers to our issues may have to do with praying until a spiritual breakthrough occurs. Perhaps we should use the account of Daniel 10 as an aid to intensify our prayers here in our land.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FOLLOW DANIEL’S EXAMPLE, PRAYING PERSISTENTLY UNTIL A BREAKTHROUGH OCCURS. We must employ such prayers for our nation and for our leaders until we see a widespread revival here in twenty-first century America.
