Scripture: Daniel 10:12–13; Hebrews 1:14
“Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand… thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me…” — Daniel 10:12–13
Daniel had been praying and fasting for three weeks when the messenger finally appeared and told him: “From the first day… thy words were heard.” Daniel had been heard on day one, yet the answer reached him on day twenty-one.
The messenger explained that he had encountered resistance from the prince of Persia until Michael came to help him. Daniel could not see any of this. He did not know that his prayer had been heard. He did not know that a messenger had been sent. He did not know there was resistance. But Daniel kept praying.
For twenty-one days, he remained before God without knowing what was happening beyond what his eyes could see. He could easily have concluded that God was silent, that nothing was happening, or that there was no point continuing. Instead, he kept seeking God until the answer came.
This account gives us a glimpse into the ministry of angels. Hebrews 1:14 describes angels as “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” They are sent forth, receive assignments from God and carry out His purposes
Peter was locked in prison, chained between soldiers and guarded by men. The believers could pray for him, but they could not walk through those prison doors and bring him out. God sent an angel. The chains fell from Peter’s hands, the iron gate opened, and he walked out.
Daniel testified after spending the night among lions, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths.” When Elijah was exhausted in the wilderness, an angel ministered to him, and he received strength for the journey ahead. Psalm 91:11 says, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”
There is help available to God that is not limited to what our eyes can see. We often calculate our chances by the people around us. Who can help me? Who can reach this place? Who can intervene? But Peter’s prison reminds us that God is not limited by locked doors. Daniel’s lions remind us that God is not helpless before dangers beyond human control.
There may even be times God has preserved us, and we never knew there was something to be preserved from since every deliverance doesn’t come with an explanation. Sometimes we just arrive safely, escape something unexpectedly, or discover later how differently an event could have ended.
Daniel 10 also shows another side of this ministry. The messenger was sent but encountered resistance. When the resistance continued, Michael came to help. The assignment was not abandoned because it encountered opposition. Assistance was released until what had been sent reached Daniel.
Scripture does not teach that every delay in our lives means an angel has been resisted; therefore, we should not manufacture spiritual explanations for everything we do not understand.
It is important to note that during those twenty-one days, Daniel continued seeking God. Knowing that angels minister does not make prayer unnecessary. If anything, Daniel’s experience should make us more determined in prayer.
Daniel prayed, and heaven responded. He continued praying, and heaven continued working. He did not abandon his place of prayer because he could not see what was happening.
Maybe you have prayed about something, and nothing appears to have changed. You cannot see what God is doing, and you do not understand the delay. Do not conclude too quickly that nothing is happening; stay before God. The God who heard Daniel on the first day had not forgotten him on the twentieth.
When you pray, remember who you are praying to. Daniel did not pray to the messenger; Peter did not summon an angel into his prison. We do not worship angels, seek encounters with them or make them the object of our attention. We pray to the Lord of hosts; He knows the angels He has assigned.
So today, do not leave your place of prayer because the answer has not yet become visible. Pray that every angel God has assigned concerning you and your household will fulfil that assignment.
PRAYER
Father, I thank You for the ministry of angels. According to Your Word, let every angel You have assigned concerning me and my household to fulfil Your command.
Give Your angels charge over me. Preserve my going out and coming in. Keep me from dangers seen and unseen.
Lord, Daniel was heard from the first day, yet the messenger encountered resistance. If anything You have sent concerning my life is being resisted, let that resistance break! As Michael came to help, send reinforcement wherever it is needed. Let nothing frustrate what You have commanded concerning me.
In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
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