Daniel 9:23 “As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision:”

How encouraging to know the answer was given when he began to pray! So often we think God isn’t listening, when He has already sent the answer; we just haven’t heard it yet. In line with that, the last part of the verse is also very significant. Daniel is told to consider/discern the message, and understand it. Sometimes God tells us things that in retrospect are clear enough, but at the time we can’t wrap our heads around them. The Bible is full of examples of God saying things that made no sense to those who heard them, but from our perspective are clear prophecies of things that indeed came to pass. When we pray, we need to trust that God is indeed answering, and ask Him to open our minds and hearts so that we can grasp the answer and respond accordingly. Some people reading this verse might say, “But Daniel was loved by God. I can’t expect that sort of attention from Him.” That’s forgetting John 3:16: “God so loved the world…” As Paul said so strongly in Romans 8:38-39, nothing can separate us from the love of God! It is by faith in Christ that we open ourselves up to receive that love, and any parent can testify that they want to do the very best for the children they love.

I have the enormous advantage of having been raised in a home where love, for God and for one another, was foundational. That’s probably why prayer comes so naturally to me: I don’t doubt that God loves me. I need to remember that His answers aren’t always immediately obvious, however. That particular point is one I sometimes have trouble getting across to others, so I need to remember to use this verse to that end. I often have people call me in a panic, sure that their immediate circumstances are going to end in disaster. My chief task is to get them to lift their eyes off of themselves and their limitations and fix them on Jesus, who went through far more than they are going through, and did it for their sake. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Father, thank You for this reminder. I expect to be ministering in the next week to people who have been through a great deal, but most of them will not be Christians. I ask You to give me wisdom and discernment to point them to You so that they may receive the hope that is found in Christ alone, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!