By Robin Sam
‘Your words were heard; and I have come because of your words’ (Daniel 10:12).
DANIEL was a man of prayer. He prayed three times a day with his windows open towards Jerusalem. He prayed alone, in his upper room. The Bible takes care to record that Daniel prayed on his knees.
Prayer is an act of submission. In prayer, we tell God we need help. That we cannot handle our lives on our own. In prayer, we recognize God’s sovereignty over our lives.
The 10th chapter of the book of Daniel suggests that he fasted and prayed for 21 days. It must have been a partial fast as the Bible notes that Daniel ate no pleasant food or meat or wine during the period. However, he must have had a frugal meal or two to keep up his stamina to do the royal duties assigned to him by the king. When was the last time we took to fasting and praying?
One of the most beautiful verses in the Bible comes in Daniel 10:12. The angel who appeared to Daniel told him: ‘Your words were heard, and I have come because of your words.’ Oh, what a blessing it is to pray to the God of Daniel! None of our prayers made to God is in vain. He hears them all. What more, He sends His angels to let us know that He has heard our prayers!
‘I have come because of your words.’ The words you utter in faith in your prayer room have power! They can bring down the angels from God’s presence. They come carrying a message from God. The angel who appeared before Daniel told him: ‘O Daniel, man greatly beloved.’ Oh, what joy to be told by a heavenly being that the God of heavens loves you greatly.
The first few verses tell us from a human perspective the reason for Daniel’s prayer. ‘…and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision.’ But, verse 12 tells us how God viewed Daniel’s prayer. ‘…from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God.’
That verse gives us an insight into the mind of God – about how He views our prayers. Are our prayers merely to obtain something from God or do we pray to set our hearts to understand and humble ourselves before God? Let us examine ourselves.
