September 16 – Daniel 10-12

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Daniel 10-12. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

It is a joke amongst preachers that whenever they ask their congregations what they would like to learn about they almost always get people wanting to study the book of Revelation. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue with this book because it talks about the end of days. There is something in that type of discussion that we all want to know more about. Maybe it is the imagery of the language that we cannot get our minds around. Maybe it is the fascination of the battle scenes it paints. Our reading today was not from the book of Revelation, but the language is very similar.

It all begins with Daniel in a period of mourning. This mourning concludes with a vision given to Daniel of things to come. What strikes me the most when I read this is Daniel’s response to the messenger … “How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.” (Daniel 10:17 NLT) Daniel did not feel he measured up to having a conversation with God.

Do you every feel like Daniel? Maybe you do not feel good enough to accept His grace. Maybe you do not feel holy enough to have a real, deep, meaningful discussion through pray with God. Maybe you question whether or not you should be a child of God or not. I do not know where you stand on talking with God, but the response Daniel heard is one we all need to hear … “Do not be afraid, for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” (Daniel 10:19 NLT).

Maybe your situation is not the context of Daniel’s, but I know this, you are special to God. He loves you. He cares for you. Be encouraged by His love; be strong because of His love, and find peace in knowing all of this!