It is these truths—God’s love and His presence and control over circumstances–that brought strength to Daniel’s soul, even affected his body, and gave him courage to go on. He was not ready to receive this vision, one that would somehow take its toll on him. He said to the angel, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” Are we lacking in strength, exhausted, burdened with cares, even with good reason? If so, we need to re-immerse ourselves in who God is, which includes His perfect love.

The prophet Daniel saw many mighty works of God on the behalf of himself, his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, works performed before the greatest of kings of his era. He received revelation from God in visions and was given ability to interpret dreams for the seeming all-powerful king, Nebuchadnezzar. And yet even such a man as Daniel knew what it was to be utterly spent and in need of encouragement. He needed to be renewed in the love and peace of God.

A Full Life

As Daniel chapter 10 opens, it is the third year of the reign of Cyrus the Great, King of the Medo-Persian Empire, whose armies had toppled and absorbed the Babylonian Empire. Daniel had been a Jewish captive now for decades, though God has greatly exalted him to positions of authority and influence in both empires. Throughout all this time Daniel has seen God’s hand at work powerfully and clearly. He is now a very old man, and the world has radically changed, is still changing.

Prayers Answered

Daniel knew the time was close for the Jewish captives to be allowed to return to Jerusalem, just as God had said. He had spent the last three weeks now in fasting and prayer, seeking God’s face for revelation about the future of Israel and the last days. In answer to his prayers, it appears that the pre-incarnate Christ (Christophany) and a mighty angel visited him. The angel then gave him a vision of the future sent from God.

Before giving Daniel the vision, the angel tells Daniel about the great battle taking place in the spiritual realm between God’s angels and the fallen. The battle was so intense that God sent his famed archangel Michael to join the battle to ensure that the vision reached Daniel.

All of this is fascinating and rich with devotional truth, but these are not the points I would like to raise here. What happens next is what we will consider.

Exhausted and in Pain

Daniel is exhausted from prayer and fasting, overwhelmed by seeing the pre-incarnate Christ in His glory (compare with Rev 1:12-18), seeing the angel, and hearing of the great battle in the spiritual realm.

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