The Bible says: ‘Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places’ (vv. 10-12 NLT). Note the words ‘against mighty powers in this dark world’. When Daniel prayed, he encountered those mighty powers. ‘Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me’ (Daniel 10:12-13 NLT). Note the words ‘blocked my way’. When you are committed to walking with God and doing His will, Satan will try to block you at every turn. If he cannot keep you from spending time in prayer, he will try to block your prayers. For twenty-one days, Daniel wondered, ‘Lord, you have answered my prayers before; how come you’re not answering them now?’ But Daniel’s answer was on the way. And yours is too. Christians used to speak about ‘praying through’. It means standing firmly on the Word of God, praying in the all-powerful and all-prevailing name of Jesus, refusing to become impatient, refusing to give up, knowing God hears and answers our prayers.
