Here you have Daniel, an exile in a wicked land from his childhood who stood his ground for the Lord his entire life in prayer. This dude was so devoted to prayer that they threw him in the Lion's Den in his 80s or 90s!!! He took on the devil for nearly a century was in the heat of his battle in his late years!
Daniel 9 opens up and Daniel has just had a profound revelation from the Lord that has driven him to fasting and prayer: "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes" (Daniel 9:3), and Daniel lays out this amazing prayer of repentance for his nation asking for God to have mercy.
Now comes the good part: "While I [Daniel] was speaking and praying, confessing my sins and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my GOd for his holy hill- while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight, about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, 'Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are HIGHLY ESTEEMED' " (Daniel 9:20-22).
Oh my goodness! Here is a man who devotes himself to prayer and his prayers are literally moving heaven. Daniel prays and arch angels are moved into action! And Daniel was called "highly esteemed!" wow.
"The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God." - 1 Cor 8:2-3.
Daniel 10 gets even better! Later in life, Daniel gets another prophetic word and it comes true! Because of the nature of the word, Daniel mourned for three weeks. He ate no choice food (sweets), no meats or wine touched his lips. At the end of the 21 days, another angel appears to him and Daniel falls into a deep sleep because of the weight of the presence of the angel!!!! The angel wakes Daniel back up and Daniel is shaking on his hands and knees! Then the angel strengthens Daniel enough to stand while shaking saying, "stand up, for I have now been sent to you." Then the angel says:
"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. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come" (Daniel 10:12-14).
WOW! Angels were sent into battle over Daniel's prayers, even the arch angel Michael! But the angel goes on:
"Do not be afraid, O man HIGHLY ESTEEMED," he said... "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince." Daniel 10:19-21).
This is just what I'm sitting on right now, reading it over and over, and it's amazing. The epic importance of prayer and its role in history. Daniel is moving angels who are raising up kings and tearing them down. Daniel is praying over empires that don't even exist yet, and moving all of it through the heavens. Prayer is soooo key! Daniel's story is an amazing testimony to the power of prayer. So cool.
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