December 2
Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.”
Daniel 10:12
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How long should you wait for God to answer your prayers?
Daniel received a vision that troubled him greatly. He began to pray and ask God to give understanding of what the vision meant. It took three weeks for the answer to come to Daniel and it came in a spectacular way; an angel delivered it to him. Daniel is overwhelmed by this appearance and needs to be strengthened by the angel.
There are some tremendous truths to be found in this verse and text. Daniel was told that God had heard his prayer from the first moment he began to pray. When God doesn’t answer our prayers right away, I believe we sometimes God didn’t hear. Or we might think God didn’t understand what we were praying for. God doesn’t need us to repeat ourselves, He doesn’t need us to speak louder, He doesn’t need us to maintain a certain posture while praying; God hears our prayers.
We are taught in scripture to keep coming to God with our prayers. That is not so that we will change God’s mind or so He will hear us but so that we will be changed, and we will hear His voice. Persistence in prayer is not a lack of faith but proof of it and the conduit to hearing from God.
One of the keys to getting a response from God to your prayers is also found in this verse; Daniel humbled himself before God. Daniel didn’t understand the vision he had received from God. He admitted that to God and asked God to give him understanding. Few things will set your prayer life on fire like humility. It is our pride and selfishness that often hinders our prayers from being answered.
It takes humility to admit that you don’t know something or that you need help. It takes faith to believe that God can bring understanding and is able to give us what we are looking for. It takes both humility and faith to see our prayers answered. In Daniel’s case we see it also takes patience. Daniel waited three weeks to receive the answer to his prayers. The answer to his prayers was being blocked by one of Satan’s princes. For Daniel to receive his answer God had to send reinforcements to assist this angel.
If you have been waiting a long time for your prayers to be answered, be encouraged by this verse. Be persistent; keep praying. Do what you can to make sure you are praying according to God’s will by comparing your request to God’s Word. Then, check your heart and make certain that you have humbled yourself before God and that you believe God hears you and will answer your prayer. Jesus, help us to wait.
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