"'But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia'....Then he said, 'Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince Greece will come. But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.'" (From Daniel 10)
The messenger tells Daniel what he is involved in. Then he asks, "Do you know why I have come to you?"
Reading our text each quarter is quite an experience. It takes me far beyond myself, so far beyond what I can comprehend. It reveals a cosmic struggle, battle. It reveals that all which is going on among men and nations is war in the heavens. ISIS is driven by a, "prince." China, the USA, Russia, all nations, kingdoms are governed not by, "flesh and blood," but by princes. Now I am not attempting a teaching on this. But today as I was praying, I really had a sense that I was engaged with "someone" very similar to the, "man," who appeared to Daniel.
Now what does this mean for you and me? I'm not entirely sure, but I do know that there is a very real sense in which you and I as a part of the global Church of Jesus Christ need to realize that when we pray, we are affecting local, state, national, and world events, and, we are engaging princes. At one point I had an attack of, "What do you think you are actually doing and accomplishing here? People who are really making a difference are working in the churches, in mission fields, they are people who are really working, not here in a basement." Yet at the same time I felt as though the Lord Jesus kept me aware of just what I was involved in, "Do you know why I have come to you?" Partly, "Get on with what I have told you to do. You have little idea of what is involved in this, but you are included."
Today I believe that we need a deeper understanding of just what we are "up against" in the corporate world, education, media, governments, in America, The Presidency, the Congress, Supreme Court, Military, State Department, etc. It is a battle as to which "prince" rules. Maybe I am too far "out on a limb," but whatever I encountered today is something of which you have already and will continue to encounter the rest of the day, the rest of our lives, the rest of this present Age. Right where you are today, in this moment, there are "princes" locked in battle. Perhaps our Lord Jesus is saying to you also today, "Do you know why I have come to you?"
Father, in Jesus' Name, keep me faithful to whatever You show me. Amen.
The messenger tells Daniel what he is involved in. Then he asks, "Do you know why I have come to you?"
Reading our text each quarter is quite an experience. It takes me far beyond myself, so far beyond what I can comprehend. It reveals a cosmic struggle, battle. It reveals that all which is going on among men and nations is war in the heavens. ISIS is driven by a, "prince." China, the USA, Russia, all nations, kingdoms are governed not by, "flesh and blood," but by princes. Now I am not attempting a teaching on this. But today as I was praying, I really had a sense that I was engaged with "someone" very similar to the, "man," who appeared to Daniel.
Now what does this mean for you and me? I'm not entirely sure, but I do know that there is a very real sense in which you and I as a part of the global Church of Jesus Christ need to realize that when we pray, we are affecting local, state, national, and world events, and, we are engaging princes. At one point I had an attack of, "What do you think you are actually doing and accomplishing here? People who are really making a difference are working in the churches, in mission fields, they are people who are really working, not here in a basement." Yet at the same time I felt as though the Lord Jesus kept me aware of just what I was involved in, "Do you know why I have come to you?" Partly, "Get on with what I have told you to do. You have little idea of what is involved in this, but you are included."
Today I believe that we need a deeper understanding of just what we are "up against" in the corporate world, education, media, governments, in America, The Presidency, the Congress, Supreme Court, Military, State Department, etc. It is a battle as to which "prince" rules. Maybe I am too far "out on a limb," but whatever I encountered today is something of which you have already and will continue to encounter the rest of the day, the rest of our lives, the rest of this present Age. Right where you are today, in this moment, there are "princes" locked in battle. Perhaps our Lord Jesus is saying to you also today, "Do you know why I have come to you?"
Father, in Jesus' Name, keep me faithful to whatever You show me. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
