STRENGTHENED BY THE LORD

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.

At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.

A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”

Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”

When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”

So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)

Daniel 10, 11:1

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever been overcome in the midst of your life’s circumstances to the point where you lacked the energy to do anything, drained by something you were trying to deal with?

I know I have. Matters we come up against in life can be overwhelming and sap our spirit away.

So what do we do in those times when this happens? How can we manage to persevere through trials, regaining our strength in the process?

Today’s scripture passage from Chapter 10 which details a vision of Daniel gives us the answer.

As we look at the chapter, we don’t get a whole lot of details about the vision Daniel sees. But we do know the following:

1. He received the vision during the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia.

2. Daniel was brought to understand that the revelation was true and “concerned a great war”.

3. The vision left Daniel in an extended state of mourning for “three weeks” during which time he “ate no choice food”, allowed “no meat or wine” to touch his lips, and “used no lotions”.  

It was in this place that Daniel encountered a magnificent angel of the Lord which left him with “no strength left” and helpless, his face “deathly pale. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. As the angel touched him and set Daniel trembling on his hands and knees, he said this to God’s servant:

“Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.”

And with that, Daniel “stood up trembling” while the angel shared that God had sent him to explain what would happen to the Israelites in the future. It was all too much for him as he quickly bowed with his “face toward the ground and was speechless”, that is until the angel touched his lips and opened his mouth so he could begin to speak these words:

“I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”

If Daniel were to carry on, he needed serious reenergizing and as we see in the scriptures, the Lord delivered just that through his angel who touched Daniel and gave him strength while adding:

“Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed. Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”

And with those words, Daniel was strengthened, strengthened by the Lord and ready to receive the rest of the revelation message.

Go back to the beginning devotion and these two questions which were posed:

So what do we do in those times when this (life’s difficulties and hardships) happens? How can we manage to persevere through trials, regaining our strength in the process?

In the end translation, there is only one true source of hope and strength for any of us as we are dealing with this thing called life and that source is the Lord God Almighty, the One through which we can do all things because nothing is impossible for Him.

Always place your trust in Him and allow Him to strengthen you in your times of need, just as He helped Daniel.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark
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