You’re on Track to A Blessing

by Alexandra Copeland

God has already been where we are trying to go. This is a reality we must grasp before we even think about moving to the next level in whatever we’re pursuing. He knows our past, present, and our future. He’s seen the road we are endeavoring to travel. Heavenly Father knows every nook and cranny—every nuance and detail of our existences. Nothing is hidden from Him. He is well aware of the desires of our hearts, and He knows how much we want to see these blessings come to pass. For some of us, there is one particular thing that we’ve been praying to receive for quite some time now. It may feel as if it’s never going to get here. Some of you have probably thought about giving up on it more than a few times, but faith demands that you continue trusting God with all your heart and stop leaning on your own understanding.

Many of us are familiar with the record in Daniel 10, where the prophet, Daniel, was in mourning over the state of the nation of God’s people, and he prayed to God for help. He fasted for a period of three weeks, and his prayer was answered by a heavenly visitation. The Lord sent a mighty angel to Daniel, and he informed Daniel that Heavenly Father heard his prayer the moment he prayed it. God dispatched this messenger angel to bring Daniel answers, but there were some spiritual forces of evil in high places that had to be dealt with.

Ephesians 6:12(NLT) tells us, “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.”  Sometimes we forget that the unseen world is more real than what is seen, because what is seen is temporary; it’s here today and gone tomorrow. This is one of the reasons Jesus Christ tells us not to store up treasures on earth, but to store them up in heaven where they won’t decay or rust. There is a spiritual war on earth, and many of us go on about our day without giving this much thought, but the record in Daniel 10 gives us a little insight as to what goes on in the spiritual realm when we pray.

Daniel 10 is rich with truths, many of them easily understandable and some not. It isn’t wise to let our focus be consumed with minor details of scripture that are beyond our understanding in the present. It is simple enough to pray to God for wisdom about such matters and as we journey forward, the Holy Spirit will teach us what we need to know. The reality that we must never loose sight of is that salvation belongs to God alone. He is the only One that can give it. He sent help to Daniel, and God’s help is always most assuredly guaranteed when He dispatches it, but we must deal with the reality that there are evil forces that seek to block or deter this help. And for this, our faith greatly factors into the equation.

Contrary to what the unbelieving world would have all to believe, there is infinitely more in the unseen than in the seen. There is a cosmic battle going on in the spiritual realm that we don’t actually see, and this hang-up of not being able to physically see what isn’t always tangibly or scientifically visible will send many to eternal darkness. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and it is the evidence of things not seen. You and I can’t see faith, but God has made it an extraordinarily potent substance, because everything that exist was made from it. God used it to create the heavens and the earth.

Faith is the spiritual weapon that allows us to stand toe to toe with anything the evil one hurls our way and claim victory with the authority and power of Christ. It is our belief in the Lord Jesus Christ that saves us. It’s our belief in the goodness of Heavenly Father through Christ that keeps us on track to the blessing we’ve been praying to receive. You and I will never truly know in this lifetime exactly what happens in the spiritual realm when we pray, but we must do as Ephesians 6:10 says, which is to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. We are to fight the good fight of faith and do not waver, for our Heavenly Father is faithful to bring to pass everything He has promised us. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.