How has the power to delay God’s answers?
Question:
Dear brother,
We read that God answered Daniel's prayer the very first day. How then was it delayed, or who has the power to delay God's answer?
Thanks and regards.
Answer:
"Then he said to me, 'Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future'" (Daniel 10:12-14).
God only gives us brief glimpses into the spiritual realm. Often, we must accept what God said and refrain from making speculations. The term "prince" refers to angels who deal with particular nations. Daniel had been asking for understanding, and an angel was sent to explain things to him. However, in the journey, another angel, one who dealt with Persia, prevented the angel from completing his task. It was only through the intervention of Michael, an archangel assigned to Israel, that the interference was ended.
No one delayed God's response. Someone delayed the messenger carrying God's response. We know that there are fallen angels, and there are hints that battles occur between these angels and the righteous angels.
What we can take from this event is that God does hear our prayers. It also indicates that sometimes a request may not be answered immediately for reasons that we cannot determine.
