What is Abide? | Listen to this Episode 

This week’s Abide episode comes from the passage in the Our Daily Bread devotional from Monday the 29th of July, and it’s looking at the passage Daniel 10:10-14.

Cast your mind back to when you were a young child. Like many, you may have had an invisible friend. They might have been our stuffed animals we talk to, or fictional people we invented but found comfort in, but they usually had one job: to help us feel safe and that we are never alone.

Now back in the Old Testament, Daniel found comfort not in an invisible friend, but in hearing from an angel. A real life heavenly messenger who had been sent to remind him that although he could not see God, God was with him in his circumstances. The angel was there to remind Daniel that he’s not alone, that God was working on his behalf.

Let’s take a closer look at the passage, and try to get a sense of what that would be like. We’re reading from Daniel chapter 10, and looking at verses 10 to 14.

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.

If you are able, close your eyes for a moment and picture yourself in Daniel’s shoes. Imagine having been mourning for three weeks, eating nothing, feeling weak and tired, and then an angel appears.

Daniel was startled and trembling at first by this visitor. Understandably so — anyone would probably be startled in fear too. In fact, Daniel was overwhelmed and fell to the ground with no strength left — that’s how abnormal a circumstance this was. And even though Daniel was the only one who could see the angel, those who were with him could sense something happening and fled, terrified.

But as overwhelming as this angel’s appearance was, it had something urgent to speak to Daniel about. Something that will bring hope in his hour of need. The words of verses 12-14 are striking:

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.”

It seems like this angel had been through a lot in order to get to Daniel, but let’s read that first part again, “Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them….”

Daniel had made a conscious, active, and responsive effort to set his mind on things above in the spiritual realm, rather than what he was dealing with in the physical realm.

This passage goes on to talk about how Daniel was so overwhelmed by this messenger that he fainted but awakened from his weakness to hear the words in verse 19, “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” God provides a vision for what will be provided for Daniel’s community which is confirmation that He loves them and hears their cries.

Today, we probably don’t hear of these specific circumstances happening around us. But that doesn’t mean that God isn’t listening and responding, appearing to you today, and giving you His strength and peace through the pain. Because He is.

Amidst our dependence upon God, spiritual warfare is constantly happening around us. It might be hard to imagine, but they are occurring every hour of every day and oftentimes, those battles we face daily either in our heads, physically or spiritually, are shaping us and positioning us to set our minds on Jesus. And, our faith in Him grows in the process.

This faith in Jesus is at many times unseen, but the evidence is all around us.

The evidence of Jesus is all around us. Not only was He physically sent by God to come as a human being and die for you, but He left behind His Holy Spirit when He was raised from the dead, which is present all around us and alive within us.

Like the imaginary friends we found comfort in as a kid, God has given us someone to play that role but this time, in reality – the Holy Spirit, protecting us and fighting for us. Even when we can’t see it.

It can be hard to believe, especially when we don’t see any evidence of God hearing us and responding to us. But we can trust His promises that He does hear us, and that He is near to us.