Daniel, chapter 10

What do I write about today? In chapter 10, Daniel receives a comforting vision from an angel, letting him know everything would be alright. I must say this morning that I am jealous of this. I wished God would still work in this way, because I could use the same level of encouragement. I feel like Daniel this morning in that everything is dark and hopeless, yet that is not the case.

Chapter 10 begins with Daniel receiving yet another troubling vision. He was accustomed to them by now, but in this one he didn’t know immediately what it meant. That made the vision even more troubling, as he had to carry this burden around for three weeks without knowing it. The angel that was sent to tell him about the vision, likely Gabriel again, was delayed by the prince of Persia.

¹² 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. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ 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." – Daniel 10:12-14

A time yet to come. Lately, I feel as if all my energies have been consumed about the time yet to come. When you have as much free time during the day as I have, it is hard not to think about the future. This is especially true when the present does not seem to matter much. Though Daniel receives an angelic visitor to calm his spirit here, it is something that seems to be in short supply in the modern world. Does this mean God has abandoned us? No! God knows there will be good times and bad times for each of us. They are written in the Book of Truth that Daniel mentions at the end of this chapter. It is Truth that God is in control, and Truth that His plan will be played out.