AN INVISBILE BATTLE
Una Lucha Invisible
by
Mary Hunt Webb
Posted Thursday, June 30, 2016
Even from a viewpoint as vast as this one, we, as human beings, still possess limited vision. [Photographer: StockSnap. Photo courtesy of Stockvault.net.]
My husband and I enjoy visiting mountains and canyons where we can look at the scenic vistas spread out below us. When we do that, it feels as though we can see the whole world.
That's not true, of course. As humans, our vision is actually quite limited.
The Bible tells us that Daniel had an experience in which he learned about spiritual warfare. Daniel was concerned about the events that were taking place around him and had been praying and fasting for three weeks when a heavenly being appeared to him in what seemed like a vision. This passage in Daniel 10:9-13 confirms that there is more going on than we can see with our eyes:
"9) Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. 10) A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11) He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. 12) Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13) But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia." (New International Version)
The appearance of this heavenly being in response to Daniel's prayerful pleas tells us that our prayers are noted in Heaven. This being - perhaps an angel - explained that he had been delayed twenty-one days in responding to Daniel's prayers because he had faced such resistance from the prince of Persia that he required assistance from Michael, the archangel. Michael's involvement indicates that the conflict was of a spiritual nature rather than an earthly one. This passage reveals that there is conflict in the spiritual realm that we cannot see in the physical sense. Ephesians 6:12 supports that understanding:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (New International Version)
When everything seems to be going wrong, it helps us to remember that we are not struggling against people. Humans are not the source of conflict in our lives. There is spiritual warfare in progress on a level that we cannot see. In those times, we must trust God's vision rather than our own. He sees what is going on, and we can trust Him to guide us through all difficulties because the battle is not ours. It is His.
BIBLE VERSES FOR THIS POSTING
Daniel 10:9-13 — 9) Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. 10) A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11) He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. 12) Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13) But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. (New International Version)
Daniel 10:9-13 — 9) Pero oí el sonido de sus palabras; y al oír el sonido de sus palabras, caí sobre mi rostro en un profundo sueño, con mi rostro en tierra. 10) Y he aquí una mano me tocó, e hizo que me pusiese sobre mis rodillas y sobre las palmas de mis manos. 11) Y me dijo: Daniel, varón muy amado, está atento a las palabras que te hablaré, y ponte en pie; porque a ti he sido enviado ahora. Mientras hablaba esto conmigo, me puse en pie temblando. 12) Entonces me dijo: Daniel, no temas; porque desde el primer día que dispusiste tu corazón a entender y a humillarte en la presencia de tu Dios, fueron oídas tus palabras; y a causa de tus palabras yo he venido. 13) Mas el príncipe del reino de Persia se me opuso durante veintiún días; pero he aquí Miguel, uno de los principales príncipes, vino para ayudarme, y quedé allí con los reyes de Persia. (Reina-Valera 1960)
Ephesians 6:12 — For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (New International Version)
Efesios 6:12 — Porque no tenemos lucha contra sangre y carne, sino contra principados, contra potestades, contra los gobernadores de las tinieblas de este siglo, contra huestes espirituales de maldad en las regiones celestes. (Reina-Valera 1960)
Whatever our difficulties, we can trust God to guide us through them. [Photographer: Mary Hunt Webb.*]
* Please do not use our original photos without our permission. These include photos by Mary Hunt Webb, Morris Webb, Jr., Morris Webb, Sr., and C.B. Hunt. Thank you.
