Photo by Viraj Karandikar on Unsplash
Dear Saints,
Today we’re pretty accustomed to instant messaging. Key in a text, press send, and away your message goes. It drives us crazy when we need a response and don’t get one back almost instantly. However, there can be any number of reasons for this, including the fact that maybe the response requires the recipient to sort through some details before responding with just the right answer. Time spent in preparation of the correct response is much better than a hastily concocted answer that will be of little help in the long run.
However, it could also be something more serious that delays the response. In one of my devotions, I read about a military courier who carried messages which were vital to the success of military operations, between units. Of course, they would frequently run into delays … for example, losing their way in the darkness, enemy fire, bombed out bridges … but through it all, dedicated couriers strived to complete their critical missions to deliver information to where it was needed.
God has a special set of messengers. They’re called “angels.” God created angels to, among other things, deliver His word to His people in time of need. The word “angel” comes from the Greek word “αγγελος (ahn-gay-los)” which means “messenger.” God’s Word is filled with accounts of His heavenly messengers delivering His promises to His people. In Daniel 10, we hear how the Angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnational Jesus, shows up to give Daniel hope in the middle of his distress. He’d received a vision of a great conflict and it must’ve been horrific because he mourned and fasted for 21 days (Daniel 10:1-3). He’d been praying for help, but help seemed to be slow arriving. But, even as Daniel waited, the Angel of the Lord told Daniel, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.” (Daniel 10:12) During His delay, the Angel had been fighting for Daniel and God’s people in a battle with the evil angel prince of Persia to prepare the battlefield for a much bigger conflict that lay ahead. But He was here in person now to help Daniel get through his current trial and to help him understand what was to come.
Like Daniel, we experience times of doubt and distress. In faith we call on God through prayer to seek His help, guidance, and comfort. At times is may seem no answer is coming. But we can take courage in God’s Word found in Daniel that what may seem to be a delay in the arrival of the Cavalry, is in fact God preparing us for the battle ahead. Even then, as He prepares us, He protects us. This is another duty God’s angels have … protection.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, a gift received in baptism, we cling in faith to God’s promises to hear and answer our prayers, especially when we’re in great need. Even as delays may seem apparent, we also cling in faith to His promises to protect us through His angels throughout our trials … leading us, eventually, into everlasting life.
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Jim