Mensa Otabil - Encouraged by the Lord (10/26/2025)
Welcome to day number 25 of our 40 days of power. We have 15 more days to go, and we thank God for His strength and His enablement as we seek Him. This week, we’ve talked about growing our faith and discussed many things that will help us grow our faith. I trust that you’ve been helped by that, and we conclude with Daniel chapter 10, verse 19: «And he said, 'O man greatly beloved, fear not. Peace be with you; be strong, yes, be strong.' So when he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, 'Let my Lord speak, for you have strengthened me.'»
The background to the story is that Daniel has been fasting for 21 days. He is on a fast, trusting God, seeking God’s face for understanding of the times he lived in and the implications of some things that the Lord has shown him. He is in a state of fasting, seeking God’s face, but for 21 days, Daniel has been fasting and praying with apparently no result. Then, after 21 days, the angel of the Lord appeared to him and gave him some insight as to why his prayer had been delayed for 21 days.
The angel of the Lord tells him about the spiritual warfare that was taking place while he was praying, but the angel also tells him that the first day he prayed, God had heard him. So, the intervening 21 days, or 20 days of waiting, was based on something else-not that God was not listening to him. God heard him immediately he prayed, and that’s what the angel of the Lord explained to him.
It’s a very encouraging word to us that as we pray and seek God’s face, there may be a delay, but the delay is not because God has put you in a queue and you are probably number 10 billion or 5 billion in the queue. He is waiting to hear before getting to you. God hears you immediately when you pray. There may be other reasons why there is a delay, but it has nothing to do with God saying it’s not your turn or that other people are ahead of you. God heard Daniel immediately he prayed, and I believe from the first day we started praying and fasting, God heard you also.
Listen to the words of the angel of the Lord: he says, «O man greatly beloved.» That is encouraging. The angel is saying, «Daniel, God doesn’t hate you; God is not upset with you.» The reason the prayer was delayed is not because God is upset with you; you are greatly beloved. God loves you; you are on God’s heart, and He loves you. So don’t ever think God is upset with you-that is why you are not receiving the answer. Of course, you have to be living right and doing the will of God to qualify for that, and Daniel was living in the will of God.
So, that’s the first thing: God loves you, and the reason the prayer is delayed is not because God is upset or hates you. Secondly, he says, «Peace be to you,» and God is saying to Daniel, «Just have peace. Rest. Relax in Me.» That’s something we have to learn when we trust God and pray. Many times, we are anxious; we want the prayer answered right now, we need the answer right now, and we lose our peace. We become very frustrated because something is not happening, but may God give you peace.
May the peace of God guard our hearts as we wait on Him. Even if there is a delay, may God give us peace. Then he says to Daniel, «Be strong. Stand strong. Be firm in the Lord.» That is very important because when we wait on the Lord, when we pray, it’s like a marathon. You know, you’re praying for a very long time, you’re believing God for a very long time, you’re fasting for a very long time, and sometimes you get weaker, you get tired, and you want to give up. The angel of the Lord said to Daniel, «Be strong,» and that’s what I want to tell you as we wait on the Lord, especially as we cross the midway line. God heard you; you are beloved by Him, and let His peace keep you throughout the spirit.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, you are the source of my strength. I know you always hear me when I call on you. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.