Have you ever been in a dry place? Felt that God wasn't hearing you? Thought that His spirit was removed from you? There is such an instance in the bible given to us. A saint of the Old Testament had the same problem. He had prayed and prayed for 3 weeks. He received no answer. Then one day he got his answer:
Daniel 10:11-14KJV
11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13 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; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
Daniel was a man like you and I. He prayed to God for his concerns. His people, his nation etc...
He prayed just as we do (or should).
I believe that too many times we give satan way too much credit. Or we do not give God enough.
God is all-knowing, all powerful, and All present. yet satan is not. The snake Satan is a created being just as we are. God knows all about us. the deceiver satan does not. God can read our thoughts and know our minds, satan can not.
We do know from the book of Job that satan has access to God. That he walks before the Throne of God and talks to God. Yet before that snake can do anything to us he, like us, has to ask God. God must allow him to persecute us, to attack, and test us. The father of lies, the great deceiver is limited. We have given him almost mythical godlike status he does not deserve.
We know that he is greater than us, but he is far less than God.
Daniel is visited by an angel who tells him that he (the angel) was dispatched at once and that the prince of Persia (satan) had held him up. That he had fought with him for 3 weeks when help came and he was able to get to Daniel to let him know his prayers were heard the very first prayer.
There are times when we pray and pray and pray yet we never know if God is hearing us. Why?
Could be sin in our hearts.
Could be it was a selfish prayer not of God but of our own wants
Could be God said no.
Could be God said not yet.
Could be God said yes and we have not seen it because we were expecting God to work in our parameters not His own way.
Could be the answer got held up by the devil himself.
2Corinthinans 12:5-10
5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong
Now I myself have a hard time equating myself to a like stature as a Daniel, or a Paul, or a David. And yet we know God is no respecter of persons, Peter assures us of this. We are all washed in the blood adopted sons of His. Here in the account of Cornelius the Gentile visiting Peter we are told that all are the same in God's eyes.
Daniel 10:11-14KJV
11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13 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; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
Daniel was a man like you and I. He prayed to God for his concerns. His people, his nation etc...
He prayed just as we do (or should).
I believe that too many times we give satan way too much credit. Or we do not give God enough.
God is all-knowing, all powerful, and All present. yet satan is not. The snake Satan is a created being just as we are. God knows all about us. the deceiver satan does not. God can read our thoughts and know our minds, satan can not.
We do know from the book of Job that satan has access to God. That he walks before the Throne of God and talks to God. Yet before that snake can do anything to us he, like us, has to ask God. God must allow him to persecute us, to attack, and test us. The father of lies, the great deceiver is limited. We have given him almost mythical godlike status he does not deserve.
We know that he is greater than us, but he is far less than God.
Daniel is visited by an angel who tells him that he (the angel) was dispatched at once and that the prince of Persia (satan) had held him up. That he had fought with him for 3 weeks when help came and he was able to get to Daniel to let him know his prayers were heard the very first prayer.
There are times when we pray and pray and pray yet we never know if God is hearing us. Why?
Could be sin in our hearts.
Could be it was a selfish prayer not of God but of our own wants
Could be God said no.
Could be God said not yet.
Could be God said yes and we have not seen it because we were expecting God to work in our parameters not His own way.
Could be the answer got held up by the devil himself.
2Corinthinans 12:5-10
5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong
Now I myself have a hard time equating myself to a like stature as a Daniel, or a Paul, or a David. And yet we know God is no respecter of persons, Peter assures us of this. We are all washed in the blood adopted sons of His. Here in the account of Cornelius the Gentile visiting Peter we are told that all are the same in God's eyes.
Acts 10:33-35
King James Version (KJV)
33 Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Peter in this passage was unwilling to eat of the food that all of his life he had been told was unclean. God was telling him that what God set apart and sanctified (in this case the Gentiles) Peter was not to call unclean.
Perhaps the biggest detriment to our prayer is us. Somehow or another we have given satan and ourselves exalted standing in our thinking.
We have taken away the sacredness and Holiness of God. We have brought him to our level. We have made Him a servant to do our bidding
We think we know more than the Creator of the universe.
He has made this earth out of nothingness, He put the sun for warmth, plants and trees for oxygen, animals for food and clothes. He made a creation, then made us and set us up in the middle of it. To rule and benefit from His creation.
Notwithstanding our exalted position among creation, we are still only human.
We can not defeat satan, we can not overcome the liar by ourselves. We must go through the Holy name of Jesus and the written Word to have a chance against him.
We must call on God to have any chance of overcoming our wicked deceitful heart, and the great serpent who would have all men in hell.
We know that in these the last days God no longer makes visits to man, nor do His angels bring us messages directly. We have the Holy Spirit who speaks to us and guides us through the Bible.
So in the middle of a dry period or in the midst of the wilderness we must pray doubly hard. We must pray for His will, for our understanding of His will, and for Him to guard our hearts from the old serpent.
We must seek Him through the Holy Scriptures. He has given us the answers, He has given us the Spirit to rightly divide the Word of Truth. It is up to us to find them.
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Peter in this passage was unwilling to eat of the food that all of his life he had been told was unclean. God was telling him that what God set apart and sanctified (in this case the Gentiles) Peter was not to call unclean.
Perhaps the biggest detriment to our prayer is us. Somehow or another we have given satan and ourselves exalted standing in our thinking.
We have taken away the sacredness and Holiness of God. We have brought him to our level. We have made Him a servant to do our bidding
We think we know more than the Creator of the universe.
He has made this earth out of nothingness, He put the sun for warmth, plants and trees for oxygen, animals for food and clothes. He made a creation, then made us and set us up in the middle of it. To rule and benefit from His creation.
Notwithstanding our exalted position among creation, we are still only human.
We can not defeat satan, we can not overcome the liar by ourselves. We must go through the Holy name of Jesus and the written Word to have a chance against him.
We must call on God to have any chance of overcoming our wicked deceitful heart, and the great serpent who would have all men in hell.
We know that in these the last days God no longer makes visits to man, nor do His angels bring us messages directly. We have the Holy Spirit who speaks to us and guides us through the Bible.
So in the middle of a dry period or in the midst of the wilderness we must pray doubly hard. We must pray for His will, for our understanding of His will, and for Him to guard our hearts from the old serpent.
We must seek Him through the Holy Scriptures. He has given us the answers, He has given us the Spirit to rightly divide the Word of Truth. It is up to us to find them.
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