Warriors Arise: July 23, 2021
Daniel 10:10-11 (NKJV) Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.
Do you wonder why the angel told Daniel to stand up? The angel touched Daniel, who then trembled on his knees and the palms of his hands. The angel called Daniel by name and then said, "man greatly beloved." Would your thoughts be racing a mile a minute? Maybe Daniel was trying to get a grasp on what was happening right before him.
We find out a few verses later that Daniel had been praying for 21 days. I don't believe Daniel stopped praying during the past 21 days. He had believed for 70 years the promise God had given the people. He continued to pray three times a day, facing Jerusalem. The 70 yeas was over but there was no sign of them returning home.
Praying 21 days straight can cause one to fall asleep and dream deeply from exhaustion. Wouldn't we all like to have an angelic being tell us what God thinks about us. Not that I look for it, but we all like affirmation; however, I don't believe this was affirmation. The angel calling Daniel by name is huge! When I read this passage the tone is one of admiration. The angel knows Daniel and it isn't just because God has sent the angel to deliver him a message. I hear a tone of respect and compassion. He knows Daniel would not leave his post. He would pray and pray and pray until he received God's answer. He was not a one prayer fits all kind of man. He believed in persisting in prayer, holding God to His word, and faithful to have God's heart when praying.
Once Daniel was looking at the angel, I get a picture of Daniel's mind whirling with thoughts.
"Is this real?"
"Am I having a vision?"
"I don't remember falling asleep but maybe this is a dream."
"My knees can't hold me much longer."
"My hands are shaking violently. Why won't they stop?"
"At his touch I nearly jumped out of my skin! It's got to be real."
Think of all the thoughts that would be going through your head after a 21 day, non-stop prayer vigil. When someone says your name you tend to look at them. The angel said Daniel's name. Then he proceeded to say, "man greatly beloved." Uh oh, is that good news or bad news.
The angel needs to get Daniel's mind to stop so he tells him to listen, "understand the words that I speak to you." He must get Daniel to focus, to hear, to listen. He has a message. It has been a long 21 days of battling and he must get Daniel to understand what God wants him to know. He knows the battle is raging. He must deliver this message but he also wants to get back to helping his fellow angels in the battle. But Daniel needs this message. His first job is to deliver the message from God. However, it seems that he doesn't quite have Daniel's attention so he proceeds by telling him, "and stand upright." That makes me chuckle a little bit. The other day I heard my mother telling Josiah, my 18 year old son, "You need to stand up, shoulders back. Why do you slouched?" These are words I have said myself.
I hear the tone of the angel's voice change as he wanted to make sure Daniel is really listening, ready to receive the message he is going to tell him, "and stand upright". It's the "and" that makes me think Daniel is not quite focused on what the angel needs to tell him. Maybe his mind is still contemplating the event or he just can't get his knees to stop trembling so the angel thinks standing will help. I'm not sure it was that standing would help stop the trembling, as much as the tone of command for Daniel to physically engage his body, as he stood so his mind could focus and his ears could hear. This is common for us to need to change positions in order to hear what is being said. Some people will look to the speaker and lean in while others will put down whatever is in their hand to stop from being distracted. But the idea is to do what you know will help you listen and focus on what is going to be said.
Finally, Daniel hears what he has been persisting in prayer, "for I have now been sent to you.” This angel had been sent by God. What seemed like a dream before is now reality in front of him. Maybe he would have preferred the dream or vision but now he has one of God's angels standing in front of him. Another wave of trembling begins before the last subsided. The reality of God's being angel right here.
God's touch leads to God's word being delivered. As with Adam and Eve, God made Adam from dirt and fashioned Eve, then He spoke to both of them. He blessed them, gave them dominion over the things fo the earth and specific instructions. When you receive a touch from God it is a time to listen. Don't forget to listen. What He is about to say next is extremely important; so much so, that he took the time to get your attention. He wanted you to know the touch came from Him.
Over 20 years ago, I remember seeking God intensely. God brought amazing healing into my life. He touched so many places deep within. I had things locked down tightly but His touch opened the doors and healed the pain of my past. I remember God's love flowing over me so completely I felt like I was going to burst into a billion pieces, as He left no hidden places in me. I believe this is when my life verse became reality. I had asked the Lord to come and do surgery on me. While He was doing surgery, He found other places that needed His touch.
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV ) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
May times since then I have climbed back up on the altar. I have allowed the Lord to perform surgery on my heart, when all I wanted to do was protect myself. But in protecting myself, my heart was not a place to allow others to get close. Therefore, I was becoming hard-hearted. Another time I had to get on the altar, God's surgery table and allow Him to remove the lies planted in my thoughts and replace them with His truth. There have been a number of times I needed to have the hand of God touch me and do surgery within. Each time the choice was mine. I had to admit I needed the surgery. I had to come to terms with how "sick" I really was. I had to stop believing the lie that "it's not that bad." I had to see, that I needed God to do surgery on me.
Daniel didn't need surgery. He needed to be present with his mind, focused to hear what the angel was going to tell him. The message was from God and he had been praying for God to respond. But something changed when the angel, who had been in the presence of God touched him. This time, heaven came down to him.
Father, I ask for You to come and meet with me. I position myself to be with You and receive from You. I know You hear my prayers. I know You have an answer. There have been too many times I ignored Your answer, because I wanted to keep praying right through Your answer. I ask to be made aware when You are delivering Your answer. I want to be silent, focused, and listen to Your word in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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