Wherever you are, open your Bible and read Daniel 10, because it has been an amazing insight for me. Daniel has received a terrifying revelation, and for three weeks he is fasting and mourning, no doubt starving for an answer from God. But no answer, no whisper, nothing has come from God. A lot of us would say we've blown it, or God is holding back from us. I have thought that SO MUCH. But if you read down through Daniel 10, you find God's messenger coming to Daniel, and apologizing for not coming right away. What happened? Evil forces held him at bay and he had to fight them off with the help of one of the mightiest angels, Michael.

What this reminds me of is two things. First, when our prayers go unanswered, when a family member tragically dies, when we screw up and fall into sin, when we bomb out in ministry, or when we go through a lot of dry times without tasting the goodness of God, it doesn't necesarily mean that we have completely screwed up; it doesn't mean that God has turned his backs on us or is practicing the 'silence of God' or is holding out on us; it doesn't even mean that he's testing our patience. We can't forget that we are in a WORLD OF WAR. All AROUND us a battle rages; if we open the eyes of our heart, we can see it. I can see it. You can, too - just open your eyes. It isn't a battle of flesh and blood, but a battle for our hearts, for our lives. It is God battling Satan for our freedom in Christ. No doubt there are battles raging over prayers, during worship, temptation, and tragedy. The good angels don't win every battle; Satan wins a few, too.

Second, Daniel 10 reminds me that while God has our lives planned out, it doesn't always 'go to plan.' A lot of people I know read the Scriptures that God has a plan for our lives and then just lay back, relax, and say, "I'm safe no matter what happens." They're deceived. Because while God has a plan for good for us, the Enemy has a plan for evil against us. So when tragedy strikes and we say, "Was this your plan?" maybe it wasn't. When we don't get into that college or we don't get accepted into that church ministry or when we don't get married to the person we want, maybe that didn't fit into God's plan? We have to remember this and not get complacent - we are in a massive war, and we have roles to play in the battle. And the last thing we can do is say "God has a plan" and ignore the fact that, yes, so does the Devil. Satan can't possess us; but he sure as heck can screw around with us.

There's a battle raging all around us, a battle we cannot see.
Grab your sword - we have to fight.