PERSEVERANCE ( Part 3)
SONG
I can not do without You
I can not do without You
I can not do without You
O Lord
I can not do without You
I can not do without You
I can not do without You
O Lord
TEXT
"Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." (Daniel chapter 10 verses 12 to 13)
From our Scripture reading today, we are able to understand that what happened to Daniel is the same thing that happens to us most times. Most times, interference by the forces of darkness results in our having to wait unduly for the answer to our prayers,
God's response to Daniel's prayer was delayed for a period of twenty-one days before the answer eventually came. Though it was not easy for Daniel, with persistence and perseverance, he continued to pray and wait for the answer from God. He knew for sure that his God was too faithful to fail him. He trusted Him even to the very end, and he got what he wanted. Hallelujah!
This is clear proof to us that delay is never a denial. When the answer to our prayer is delayed, that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be answered. It simply means, among other things, that it would surely come in spite of the delay and most often, at God's own time, which is the best of times. Hallelujah!
One lesson I personally learned from the story of Daniel is that he kept himself in the place of fellowship. The Bible did not tell us that because of the delay of the answer to his prayer that he left the place of prayer, or that he relapsed into discouragement or dispiritedness. Rather, from the account presented in the Bible, it was in the place of fellowship that Daniel got from the Lord's angel the encouragement that he needed:
"Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words...." (Daniel chapter 10 verses 12 to 13)
There is no other place to hear the voice of God and to receive godly encouragement than being in communion with Him and fellow believers. Constant fellowship with the Lord and with His people engenders perseverance and encouragement because it is what sustains the spirit and keeps it going in times of trials.
God, our Father cherishes that we hold constant fellowship with Him. In the Book of Isaiah chapter 1 verse 18, we find it written as follows:
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
Like we surmised above, having fellowship with other believers is also very important. We are encouraged never to despise our gathering together as believers. The Bible says,
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25).
From such fellowships, we gain from the experiences of other believers in their moments of trials and temptations, among other things. With that, we develop perseverance and the necessary courage to persist in our faith and trust in the Lord. Praise the Lord!
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for Your Spirit, which has kept me in fellowship, thus enabling me not to falter in faith, in Jesus' Mighty name.