A hand touched me and pulled me to my hands and knees.
Daniel, he said, man of quality, listen carefully to my message. And get up on
your feet. Stand at attention. I've been sent to bring you news. When he had
said this, I stood up, but I was still shaking. Relax, Daniel, he continued, don't
be afraid. From the moment you decided to humble yourself to receive
understanding, your prayer was heard, and I set out to come to you. But I was
waylaid by the angel-prince of the kingdom of Persia and was delayed for a good
three weeks. But then Michael, one of the chief angel-princes, intervened to
help me. I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia. And now I'm
here to help you understand what will eventually happen to your people. The
vision has to do with what's ahead.
While he was saying all this, I looked at the ground
and said nothing. Then I was surprised by something like a human hand that
touched my lips. I opened my mouth and started talking to the messenger: When I
saw you, master, I was terror-stricken. My knees turned to water. I couldn't
move. How can I, a lowly servant, speak to you, my master? I'm paralyzed. I can
hardly breathe! Then this humanlike
figure touched me again and gave me strength. He said, Don't be afraid, friend.
Peace. Everything is going to be all right. Take courage. Be strong. Even as he
spoke, courage surged up within me. I said, Go ahead, let my master speak.
You've given me courage.
He said, Do you know why I've come here to you? I now
have to go back to fight against the angel-prince of Persia, and when I get him
out of the way, the angel-prince of Greece will arrive. But first let me tell
you what's written in The True Book. No one helps me in my fight against these
beings except Michael, your angel-prince.
Man of high esteem—that was Daniel in the eyes of the Lord!
The angel told him to understand, to stand upright, to humble himself before God and to
be courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. Since the angel repeated
himself it makes you wonder just how afraid Daniel must have looked. God heard
Daniels’s plea for understanding his vision and sent this brilliant angel to
his rescue.
Picture this: Daniel was in sack cloth, mourning for three
weeks while unbeknownst to him in an unseen realm angelic warfare, a real
battle was waging. That confrontation kept Daniel’s angel busy until the great
archangel Michael came along side him to fight the evil angels. Meanwhile down
on earth Daniel’s vision sapped his strength to the point that he couldn’t
speak. His companions were afraid and ran away—and now Daniel was standing
before this brilliant angel. The mere touch of the angel gave Daniel strength
and courage. Do not be afraid—fear not! What a message—one that is repeated
over and over in the Bible. The angels will tell the shepherds that when they
announce Jesus’ birth. Listen closely. Do you hear the Lord telling you not to
be afraid? Have courage?
We are unaware that there are angels doing battle for us,
for our families and friends, and for our nation. Unseen and yet actively
engaged in warfare. Maybe the movies and comic book super heroes aren’t so
wrong after all. Fight evil. Seek knowledge and understanding—stand upright—be
courageous. Same message that Daniel’s angel gave to him. That is the message
to us.
Lord—please keep your
mighty angels fighting against evil forces; give us courage to stand upright
and to be a people for whom you have high esteem like Daniel. Thank you.
© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Scripture from The Message, except where noted.
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