Topical Bible: Prayer: Answered: Daniel, in a Vision

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The account of Daniel receiving an answer to his prayer through a vision is a profound example of divine communication and intervention. This event is recorded in the Book of Daniel, specifically in chapters 9 and 10, where Daniel's earnest prayers are met with heavenly responses, providing insight into God's plans and the spiritual realm.

Context and Background

Daniel, a prophet and a man of deep faith, was among the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Known for his unwavering devotion to God, Daniel consistently sought divine wisdom and understanding through prayer. His life was marked by regular prayer, as seen in Daniel 6:10, where he prayed three times a day, even in the face of persecution.

Daniel's Prayer and the Vision

In Daniel 9, we find Daniel studying the Scriptures, particularly the writings of Jeremiah, which prophesied the desolation of Jerusalem lasting seventy years (Daniel 9:2). Understanding that the time of desolation was nearing its end, Daniel turned to God in prayer and supplication, fasting and donning sackcloth and ashes as signs of repentance and humility (Daniel 9:3).

Daniel's prayer is a model of confession and intercession. He acknowledges the sins of Israel and pleads for God's mercy and forgiveness, appealing to God's righteousness and covenantal faithfulness (Daniel 9:4-19). His prayer is characterized by a deep sense of urgency and sincerity, reflecting his concern for his people and the holy city of Jerusalem.

The Angelic Response

While Daniel was still praying, the angel Gabriel appeared to him, bringing a swift answer from God (Daniel 9:20-21). Gabriel's message was one of reassurance and revelation. He informed Daniel that he was "highly esteemed" and had come to give him insight and understanding (Daniel 9:22-23). Gabriel then delivered the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, a complex and significant revelation concerning the future of Israel and the coming of the Messiah (Daniel 9:24-27).

In Daniel 10, another vision is described, occurring in the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia. Daniel had been mourning and fasting for three weeks when he received a vision of a heavenly being, often interpreted as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ or an angelic messenger (Daniel 10:1-6). This vision provided Daniel with further understanding of the spiritual battles taking place and the future events concerning his people.

Significance of the Answered Prayer

Daniel's experience highlights several key themes in the theology of prayer:

1. God's Sovereignty and Timing: Daniel's prayers were answered according to God's perfect timing and sovereign plan. The visions he received were not only answers to his immediate concerns but also revelations of God's overarching redemptive plan.

2. The Role of Angels: The involvement of Gabriel underscores the role of angels as messengers and ministers of God's will. They serve as intermediaries, bringing divine messages and providing strength and understanding to God's people.

3. Spiritual Warfare: The delay in the angelic response, due to spiritual opposition, reveals the reality of spiritual warfare (Daniel 10:12-13). It emphasizes the importance of persistent prayer and the unseen battles that accompany the answers to our prayers.

4. Faithfulness in Prayer: Daniel's example encourages believers to remain faithful and persistent in prayer, trusting that God hears and responds to the cries of His people.

Daniel's answered prayer through visions serves as a powerful testament to the efficacy of prayer and the faithfulness of God in revealing His will to those who earnestly seek Him.

Nave's Topical Index

Daniel 10:12
Then said he to me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that you did set your heart to understand, and to chasten yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I am come for your words.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

On Daniel. Iii. Scholia on Daniel.
... as they had united with Daniel in prayer to God ... thereof six cubits." For as the blessed
Daniel, in interpreting the vision, had answered the king ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/on daniel iii scholia on.htm

The Second vision "In Heaven"
... Daniel 3:4, 5; iv.1; vi.25), standing before the ... prayer and the answer, which shall
turn the prayer into praise. ... the cry is now about to be answered, and there ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the second vision in heaven.htm

The Third vision "In Heaven"
... All is anticipated by these heavenly voices, which are answered by the ... It is the
announcement that the prayer of the ages " "Thy kingdom ... Daniel 2:44; vii.14 ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the third vision in heaven.htm

Questions.
... 20. How was Daniel's prayer answered? 21. ... xlvi.1,2. 27. What was revealed
to Daniel in his last vision? 28. What was Daniel called? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/questions.htm

Bear up the Hands that Hang Down, by Faith and Prayer...
... The joy of answered prayer is the joy of a travailing ... age as she was, in answer to
the prayer of Zacharias ... Daniel's praying opened to him the vision of prophecy ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/purpose in prayer/chapter ix bear up the.htm

The Return of the Exiles
... Daniel's prayer had been offered "in the first year of ... Many, like Daniel, had been
studying the prophecies, and ... now their prayers were being answered; and with ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 45 the return of.htm

Concerning Nebuchadnezzar and his Successors and How their ...
... who brought to light and answered such questions ... might offer a petition or prayer
either to ... under Antiochus Epiphanes, according to Daniel's vision, and what ...
/.../the antiquities of the jews/chapter 11 concerning nebuchadnezzar and.htm

Daniel's Band
... You cannot see God and live," another answered, "Then let ... Thus I have briefly describe
the case of Daniel. ... he hath attended to the voice of my prayer." Are you ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/daniels band.htm

Prayers Answered
... them, and send them to buy of Daniel Loest to ... in prayer that he may give them a clear
vision.'". ... we loved, admitted then that God had answered prayer, and that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/the wonders of prayer/prayers answered.htm

Demonstration xxi. --Of Persecution.
... When they sold Joseph, he answered nothing to his ... up from Babylon; and Jesus by His
prayer turned back the ... When Daniel explained the vision of Belteshazzar, he ...
/.../aphrahat/aphrahat select demonstrations/demonstration xxi of persecution.htm