Daniel's Prayer

Here was part of my reading today in my 'homework' for this Daniel study that I am doing:

"We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill- 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed."

Daniel was so urgent in his prayer and I LOVE this visual of an angel of the Lord, Gabriel, flying in to Daniel's side even before he finished his prayer to give Daniel insight and understanding. Not only that, but he tells Daniel that even before he began his prayer, an answer had been given! That is SO reassuring. If we could only see the angels all around us delivering the answers to our prayers! :)

The interesting thing is that some of the 'answer' to Daniel's prayer was still a long way from happening. Beth Moore made the point that we often miss the fact that God is answering prayer, even when we don't see the 'action' of that answer right away. I'm thankful today for examples like Daniel and reminders like this that God is always at work answering our prayers and that in His eyes we are 'highly esteemed.'