Peace to You. Be Very Strong.

-

Daniel 10:15-19

When he was visited by the messenger of the Lord, Daniel was physically and emotionally overwhelmed. He describes himself as speechless, anguished, and powerless. Breathless. Daniel asks this powerful question that continues to echo in my mind.

“How can someone like me, your servant, speak with someone like you, my lord?”

Indeed, how can someone like me approach Almighty God and speak with Him? To be in His presence would leave me speechless in awe, anguished in my sin, and powerless to do anything for myself.

How grateful I am that God does His best work when we are in this state of weakness! When we humble ourselves at the feet of Jesus, acknowledging our sins and weaknesses, that is precisely when Jesus will reach down, take our hand, and respond in the way the messenger did to Daniel.

“Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong.”

Fear flees and strength grows. With the burden of our sins removed and the assurance of God’s love, we can stand under His power and are no longer breathless. We are filled with the breath of His Spirit and enabled to do hear what God has to say to us. We can respond as Daniel did, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

When we are weak, God is strong.

What fears, burdens, and inadequacies do you need to leave at Jesus’ feet today?

Take time to talk to God about it all. Hear His words to you. Don’t be afraid. You are treasured. Be filled with my peace. Be very strong.



Comments

  1. UnknownJune 12, 2020 at 7:55 AM

    Thanks, Karen. Your words were a powerful complement to Daniel's. I appreciated this today. Be filled with peace as you enjoy God's nature these next few days.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Committed to Prayer

-
Image
Read Daniel 10 to get the full story, but today we will focus on just the first few verses. As you read, take note of how Daniel prepared himself to hear from God, and also notice the important messages given to him when the information was revealed. The book of Daniel is packed full of wonderful accounts of God’s power manifest in Daniel’s life – the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, the handwriting on the wall. There’s plenty there to study and learn. This time I want to focus on a lesser known account in chapter 10, which gives us a glimpse into the spiritual realm. The first thing I noticed is how committed Daniel is to his prayer. In verses 2 and 3 we read about his sacrificial approach and focus on seeking God.   He describes himself as “mourning.” The definition of the original word here indicates lamenting, or walking with head downcast.  When we find ourselves in this condition, we need to follow Daniel’s example and go directly to seeking God. And his isn’t a quick pr
Read more

Meager Bread and Water

-
Image
  Read Isaiah 30:20-22 What truth is contained in these verses!! When we seek the Lord during hard times, things will become clearer and powerful things happen. Let's look at the three basic lessons that have become clear to me as I've studied this passage. First, God provides what we need – “meager bread and water.” Although we may be learning to do without some things, we still have a God who will meet our needs and help us become aware of our greediness for more than that. He has promised that when we first seek Him, He will provide for the daily stuff we tend to worry about (Matthew 6:33). Second, our Teacher will not be hidden and He will not be silent. Adversity helps us to grow and to learn about what God wants from us. As we stumble through the chaos, we will begin to see God in the midst of it, and God’s voice will become clearer.   He will lead us in His ways. Finally, when we are struggling, our lives get sifted. As the shaking continues, we begin to recogniz
Read more

Waiting Stinks

-
Image
Read John 11:1-4 (We'll go farther in the story next time) Jesus’ friend Lazarus was sick. Very sick. His sisters sent for Jesus, the compassionate miracle-worker. When Jesus didn’t come right away, Martha and Mary suffered. They expected Jesus, the Healer who loved them, to come and save Lazarus. When Lazarus died instead, they were left with their own thoughts and questions. I can imagine that they wavered in their faith, sometimes thinking, “Jesus has so many people to help, of course He couldn’t just come when we asked,” and sometimes “But He’s our friend. Aren’t we important enough to Him that He would come and help?” They maybe even wondered why Jesus didn’t say the word from afar and save Lazarus’ life. He’d done it for others. Why not for them?
Read more