Set Yourself to Understand
The days of our lives are “full of trouble” (Job 14:1 ESV). The late Pastor Jerry Falwell explained that we were either soon headed into trouble, currently in trouble, or just coming out of trouble. Our effort to understand plays a heavy role in our ability to endure the trouble. It is necessary to stay in a perpetual mindset of seeking understanding to strengthen our endurance, particularly with our faith. Jesus said, “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:13 ESV).
Daniel 10 starts off with Daniel explaining an encounter he had with an angel. The angel expressed that he was there “because of your words…and to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days” (Dan. 10:12, 14). In Daniel 10:1, it says Daniel was given a word and that he understood it, but it was his response to the word that brought the angel. Daniel knew it would be a hard thing to endure, so he was mourning and fasting for three weeks (Dan. 10:2-3).
Two things we need to know from this response that Daniel had to the vision and from the encounter with the angel. God’s response to us is immediate. The angel said he had been fighting the king of Persia. The decision-making and work of a government may seem illogical or ineffective at times, but we often neglect the spiritual warfare among governmental leaders. That is exactly where this angel came from, but notice the timeline. The angel had been fighting the king for 21 days, and Daniel had been fasting and praying for three weeks (3X7=21). Although we don’t see God working, trust His sovereign plan.
The trust we have in God leads us to the second item, humility. Our inability to stay humble will destroy or deny God’s involvement. The words of Daniel were his prayers, and his prayers came from an effort to seek God out of humility to understand (Dan. 10:12). Humility is the pathway of enduring when we seek to understand. It’s worth noting that Daniel’s actions were motivated by what was going to happen to his own people.
Take steps to endure a challenge someone else is experiencing.
Daniel 10 starts off with Daniel explaining an encounter he had with an angel. The angel expressed that he was there “because of your words…and to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days” (Dan. 10:12, 14). In Daniel 10:1, it says Daniel was given a word and that he understood it, but it was his response to the word that brought the angel. Daniel knew it would be a hard thing to endure, so he was mourning and fasting for three weeks (Dan. 10:2-3).
Two things we need to know from this response that Daniel had to the vision and from the encounter with the angel. God’s response to us is immediate. The angel said he had been fighting the king of Persia. The decision-making and work of a government may seem illogical or ineffective at times, but we often neglect the spiritual warfare among governmental leaders. That is exactly where this angel came from, but notice the timeline. The angel had been fighting the king for 21 days, and Daniel had been fasting and praying for three weeks (3X7=21). Although we don’t see God working, trust His sovereign plan.
The trust we have in God leads us to the second item, humility. Our inability to stay humble will destroy or deny God’s involvement. The words of Daniel were his prayers, and his prayers came from an effort to seek God out of humility to understand (Dan. 10:12). Humility is the pathway of enduring when we seek to understand. It’s worth noting that Daniel’s actions were motivated by what was going to happen to his own people.
Take steps to endure a challenge someone else is experiencing.
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