Dear Amy,

Why is it that our most holy and righteous prayers, those prayed for God’s glory and the advancement of the Kingdom, are not answered immediately?

We know we can pray in Jesus’ name as he wonderfully lays upon our hearts those things which are on his own heart. There is much joy in such praying and there is intimacy in relationship with Jesus as our own most earnest desires become aligned with his own.

“If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

― John 14:14

Why then the wait?

It helps to know that there is a spiritual battle raging, for there is indeed a spiritual battle and we are right in the middle of it and never more so than when we pray such Kingdom prayers.

Exiled in Babylon, Daniel experienced this in his own time of crying out to the Lord and waiting on him.

In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.

― Daniel 10:2-3

Seventy long years had passed since Daniel had been taken into exile in his youth and he was now an old man. Throughout this time he had lived a life pleasing to the Lord. Consider for a moment: that earnest young man carried off into Babylon all those years previously, who with his three friends set their course with such boldness and determination to honour the Lord and live for him alone. Here he was now as an old man, no less dedicated and no less determined. Praise the Lord for Daniel and others like him, for the consistency of such lives lived for the Lord through so many years!

And so here he was, praying most earnestly about matters central to the Kingdom, matters on God’s own heart, and in the praying there was mourning and waiting. But surely even Daniel wasn’t expecting what happened next.

I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.

― Daniel 10:5-6

This was no mere angelic messenger. Here stood an angelic warrior, come to strengthen Daniel and give him the courage he would need.

Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.”

― Daniel 10:12-13

Firstly notice the affirmation of a life lived before the Lord⸺Daniel’s whole-hearted devotion to the Lord through all these years had not gone unnoticed. His prayers had not gone unheeded, and the angelic warrior was standing before him precisely because of those prayers.

A spiritual battle had been raging and it was not over, but Daniel’s praying mattered so greatly to the commander of the army of the Lord that he had momentarily spared an angelic warrior from the battle to strengthen and encourage Daniel, his loyal and faithful prayer warrior, equally engaged in the battle.

And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.”

― Daniel 10:19-21

The spiritual battle continued to rage and the angelic warrior could not stay. He had taken time out to come to Daniel to strengthen and encourage him for what lay ahead, and furthermore to remind him that he was a man greatly loved.

The spiritual battle continues to rage today. We must engage faithfully in prayer, knowing full well that answering our own most earnest and Kingdom-centric prayers is no small or easy matter. May our own prayers be so aligned with the plans and purposes of the commander of the Lord’s army in this spiritual battle that we find ourselves fighting alongside these angelic warriors, fully engaged and fully committed for the Kingdom.

Pray Kingdom prayers, Amy, and know that as the spiritual battle continues to rage you are so greatly loved, your own prayers are contributing to the glorious and God-honouring outcome, and so be strong and of good courage! 🙏