Let's get after it. Grab your Bibles, open up to the Book of Daniel. If you just came because you're connected with some of those cute babies getting commissioned today, or the parents getting commissioned today, or maybe you're just visiting. We've been going through the Book of Daniel and we're in chapter 10 now. So if you have a Bible, open it up. It's always best if you see it in front of you. We'll put the verses on the screen. But Daniel's been this exemplary character of what it looks like to be faithful in an unfaithful world, kind of live countercultural for the glory of God, and he's been a tremendous example for us. But even Daniel gets discouraged, and we're gonna see that in our text today that discouragement is a real thing, especially when you're striving kind of against the pressures of this world to live in a bit of a countercultural way for God. So let me just pose this question. Do you ever wrestle with discouragement? SOMEBODY LAUGHS because it's a little bit of a silly question. Because it's like, yeah, of course I do. Like we all do. It's something that we deal with on a daily, weekly basis of things not going the way that we want them to go. It's not working out the way we want it. And there can just be discouragement that we deal with. So what's the answer to discouragement? Now, on one level, you could say, well, the answer to discouragement is encouragement that if we're discouraged, we need to be encouraged. But have you ever felt that the encouragement that you get is not strong enough to deal with the discouragement you have? Like, as much as people try to encourage you, it doesn't quite win out of the discouragement you're feeling. You're still anxious, you're still worried, you're still frustrated, you're still concerned. The encouragement just isn't strong enough to deal with the discouragement that you're feeling in this world. Well, what if the solution to our earthly discouragement is not earthly encouragement, but heavenly encouragement? I mean, what if the solution to our discouragement was a better understanding of what we can't see? Now, we're going to get a little weird here, but if you grew up in church world, you'd be like, yeah, of course. But if you didn't, this might sound a little bit weird, but there's more to this world than just what we see. There's more happening, there's more going on than what we can see. The Bible speaks of a vast, complex spiritual world. You have God who exists in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. There's angels, there's demons. We get a couple angels named in the book of Daniel. You got Michael. You have Gabriel, you have cherubim and Seraphim, and you have Satan, and you have good angels and bad angels and this cosmic war. And he's just kind of a complex spiritual world. And for some of you, you hear that and you might. Your first reaction might be like, it sounds ridiculous. Like, it sounds fairy tale ish. It sounds like it's just hard for you to buy in. Other of you hear that and you're just like, you're fascinated. You probably watch a lot of ancient aliens on the History Channel, but you're just kind of leaning in like, you, like, tell me more. Some of you hear that and you're just like, I'm just confused. Like, I don't know. That just seems overwhelming. Some of you hear the idea of the spiritual world and you're scared that you've gotten maybe a lot of your ideas from Hollywood, and it's scary. You don't want anything to do with that. But what if better understanding the spiritual world for the believer was an encouragement? An encouragement that was strong enough to deal with our discouraging times. As we'll see in our text, Daniel's discouraged. But to encourage Daniel, God gives him a peek behind the curtain. You're gonna get a window into what's going on and what you can't see. And Daniel's peek behind the curtain is our peak behind the curtain. And it's the opposite of wizard of Oz. You guys remember the wizard of Oz? Like the great and powerful Oz, like, we gotta go see him. But as soon as they get a peek behind the curtain, it's just some shyster pulling some levers and there's this big letdown. Like, a peek behind this curtain is not underwhelming, it's overwhelming. And it's meant to bring us courage. It does so for Daniel. So how do we deal with earthly discouragement? And you should lean in on that question because as we kind of indicated earlier, we all deal with that. So the question is, how do we deal with earthly discouragement? Here's the answer. With a heavenly encouragement or a heavenly perspective. So let's try to get a better heavenly perspective. You guys okay? Wading into some of the weird this morning, and you're just like, oh, we're just now starting that. We've been doing that. Okay, so Daniel, chapter 10. Let's get after this, verse one. In the third year of Cyrus, King of Persia. Let's stop there. We'll get there, we'll keep moving, pick up the pace. But it's the third year of Cyrus, King of Persia. We get a time frame here. Now Daniel is two years into retirement and he's probably in his mid-80s. So if you go back to the end of Daniel chapter one, it says that his kind of time frame of his position and power went to the first year of Cyrus. Well, we're in the third year of Cyrus. So this is two years into Daniel's retirement. He's probably in his mid-80s. And what we learn in Ezra chapter one is that Cyrus let the Israelites return to their land in his first year. So why didn't Daniel go? Like he's been so excited for this fulfillment of the prophecy from Jeremiah that we've looked at several times. It's time to go back. He gets to go back. He's got the green light. He doesn't go, why is he still here now? Some people say, well, it's because he's too old. It's like, ah. I mean, they could have carried him. He's a big dude or a big deal. Like, they would. It would've got like, maybe, maybe he was too old. But I think there's more to it than that. I think he's disappointed and he feels that there's more work to be done where he's at, which is a lesson in of itself. If you kind of find yourself in the latter half of your life, like, don't coast to the end. There's work to be done. But two years after, the Israelites can go back. A lot don't, we're told, like 40 to 50,000 go back and be like, that's a lot. But it was just a small fraction of what could go back. So a lot don't go back. The ones leading the first return to Jerusalem were Zerubbabel, who was in the line of David. So you kind of have a king going back. We're gonna get this government re established. And Joshua, who was a priest. So you kind of have like our civil structures coming, our religious structures coming. We're gonna reestablish. There's some excitement. But it took them seven months just to deal with the rubble of the city. Like it was completely destroyed. And when they started to rebuild, they were mocked and oppressed. It's not going that great. It's not going the way that Daniel had kind of hoped and dreamed it would go. Like, we're gonna have this mass wave of people going back to our promised land. We're gonna rebuild the city. We're gonna be reestablished. Like, it's over, it's done. And then it plays out, and it's like, well, that's not really what I was hoping for. Like, that was kind of underwhelming. And Daniel's discouraged, maybe even questioning, God, did you promise that this would happen? Isn't it supposed to unfold? Like, the time of punishment is over and we're back? And it doesn't seem to be playing out that way. You can imagine his disappointment. You could imagine maybe his seeking God of, like, what's going on here. And maybe you can relate to those feelings. Like, it's not playing out the way I hoped it would play out. Like, my marriage isn't as blissful as I thought it was. Don't you want me to have a good marriage, God? Like, doesn't this line up with your word? Like, my job is harder than I thought. The doctor diagnosis is not what I thought. Like, don't you want something different from me? And you struggle with the outcome that's happening. And maybe you even question God as well. But Daniel gets a word. And the word given to Daniel to help his discouragement is also a word given to us to help our discouragement. So here's what it says. It says, in the third year of Cyrus, King of Persia, a word was revealed to Daniel, whose name Belteshazzar. They give his Babylonian name. Just say, like, after all these years, it's the same Daniel talking about the same guy. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision. So he gets this word. And before we get into the word, which we won't actually get into the word until next week, but he says it's true and it involves a great conflict. Or maybe a better translation would be a great warfare. Why does he say that? It's sometimes, like, if something happens to you so incredible, you might say, you're not gonna believe what happened to me. Cause you understand, like, how crazy it is, but you're gonna say, no, I swear. I swear. This, like, you kind of preface it like, this really happened. And Daniel's saying, don't be confused or kind of throw thrown off by how crazy it is. It's true. Like, it really happened. You're not gonna believe the vision that I had. And it involves great warfare. Like, he got Let in on some warfare. So let's see what happens. Verse 2. In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning. So this is where I feel like, hey, there's more going on to why he's not bad. Like he's discouraged about something. He 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 on the 24th day of the first month. So we get some time frame here. And I was standing on the bank of the great river that is the Tigris. So here's why I think it's some. It's not just that he's too old. He's. He's bothered by something and he's mourning and he's fasting. Now, there's a type of fast that he's doing. He's not fasting completely, he's just not having any of the delicacies. It's a partial fast. Remind you of anything else he did? Like back in chapter one, where he kind of just vegetables, like he wouldn't partake of the king's food. It's kind of that same time. It's a partial fast. Now, don't use this verse here to make some kind of health statement. See, he doesn't eat meat or drink wine. That's not what he's saying. In fact, he's saying, that's the good stuff. And I'm withholding myself from that. In this period of time as an act of mourning and fasting and seeking the Lord. And how long does he seek the Lord? Three weeks, right? 21 days. Like that math right off the top of my head. Three weeks, 21 days that he's got this fast. And when is this fast taking place? It's the first month. For the Jewish people, the first month is Nisan. And it brings us to the 24th day of that month. So he started this three week fast, this 21 day fast, in the third Nissan, the third. Now here's what's interesting about this. Passover falls in that month, the 14th of that month. So Daniel is mourning and fasting in a time he should be celebrating. And what should he be celebrating at the Passover? How God saves his people, How God rescues his people, God's care for his people. But Daniel's like, I'm not feeling that. I'm not feeling your rescue, I'm not feeling your provision. I'm not feeling your care. Like it's not playing out how I thought it would play out. And he's discouraged. But he gets a word. Now in chapter nine, we see Daniel getting this immediate response to his prayers, like while he was praying. Gabriel shows up, but he's been waiting three weeks, and we'll see why in a bit. But here's what happens, and it's definitely worth the wait. Look at verse four. On the 24th day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river that is the Tigris, here's what happened. 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 a gleam of burnished bronze. And the sound of his words were like the sound of a multitude or a sound of rushing waters. It's loud. That's a pretty epic vision, is it not? Like he's discouraged. He's seeking the Lord. And when he gets this vision of the Lord, he gets this epic vision of this glorious figure. Who is it? Who is this figure? Now go to Revelation, chapter one, because we get a really similar description. Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and I turned. And on turning I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the lampstands, one like the Son of man. So that phrase comes from Daniel. We looked at that. Clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. That sounds familiar. His hairs of his head were white like wool, like snow. That's new. But his eyes were like a flaming fire. Sounds familiar. His feet were like burnished bronze. Sounds familiar. Refined by the furnace. And his voice was like the roar of many waters or of a multitude. Sound familiar? And who's this in Revelation, chapter one? Jesus. So here it seems like Daniel is getting a look at the pre incarnate Jesus Christ. Daniel gets like, get a load of your Savior. Now this description never gets. Or let me put it this way, no angel ever gets described this way. So Daniel's getting a peek behind the curtain and it's like, Daniel, you're discouraged. Get a load of your God. Get a load of your Savior. Get a load of your Messiah, the one that's promised to come. Like, I'm gonna give you a peek at this. Like, be blown away. And here's what happens. Now, there's a lot of description in our text of how Daniel responds to this vision. So it's part of the point, and we gotta get the point. Now we'll see in a little bit. But let me just tell you, the point is, be in awe of God. Be impressed by God. Be amazed at God. Now, here's the problem. If we kinda just get honest with ourselves here. None of us would probably admit this verbally, but I think functionally we serve a small God. Like, our view of God is not big enough to deal with our problems. It's not big enough to deal with our hardships. Like, our problems are big. Our God is small. Our depression is big. Our God is small. Our heartaches are big. Our God is small. The difficulties are big. Our God is small. Like, whatever it is, it's not that we don't believe in God, but whatever is stressing us out and. And kind of work like that's huge in our life. But that's not true. It's a lie. God is bigger than your depression. God is bigger than your problems. God is bigger than your challenges. Daniel's discouraged. And the solution to his discouragement was get a low to your God. Like, get a clear, accurate picture and the size and glory of your God. So here's how Daniel reacts, and we get descriptions of his reaction, which should Q. Isanon, the point here, Verse seven. And I, Daniel alone, saw the vision. For the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. So the people he's with don't even see God. This vision of the preincarnate Christ. But they know something's happening and they're terrified. They're freaked out and they run and hide. Here's what happens next. Saul was left alone. Thanks for that, guys. And saw this great vision. And had no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, like he went pale white. And I retained no strength. This is just like strength was zapped from him. Then I heard the sound of his words. And as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground. He fainted, all right. That's what happened. He's freaking out. Understand? Like, this is. This is incredible. What happens to him. Let's keep reading. See where this goes. Verse 10. And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. So he's made it up to his hands and knees, but he gets a hand on his shoulder here. And he said to me, o Daniel, man greatly loved. Now, how comforting are those words in this moment when you are terrified by the holiness of God before you Manifest before you. And what you hear is you are greatly loved. Understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright for now I have been sent to you. And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. So he's still trembling, appropriately so. But Daniel gets a vision. He sees the glorious majestic Savior, but then a hand touches him. So the vision is something he sees. But now this isn't just a vision. This is really happening. This is tangible, this is physical. This is an experience. Who is it that's touching him now? I'll just let you in. This is debated like there's a debate now. Who's the figure right now that he sees? It's the pre incarnate Christ. So you might make a conclusion that, oh, it's Christ. That in fact, in Revelation chapter one, after we get that description, John falls to his knees and Jesus touches him. So this could be like, okay, it's apples to apples here, There's a correlation there. It could be Christ maybe. What we'll find out next week when we get into chapters 11 12. There's other angels there present as well. So when it says, for now I have been sent to you, is this like, hey, you got Gabriel before Daniel, but. But this time you get me. Like, I'm here to talk to you. I'm here to comfort you, possibly. Or is it like, for now I have been sent to you like Daniel. You get a vision of the pre incarnate Christ and the glory of God, and now I'm this angel here to help you understand it. There's debate on what that possibly is. I think it's probably Gabriel. But this angel, this messenger, tells Daniel, hey, stand up. All right? Stand up. Receive the word. And he says this in verse 12. Then he said to me, fear not, Daniel for or because this is why you should not fear. 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. Now, I don't want to miss this as we start to wade into some harder things, are more confusing things. So let's just say this clearly, guys. Prayer matters. He's saying, I'm here because you prayed and your prayers were heard and your prayers are being responded to. And because that truth is real, that God hears your prayers and responds to your prayers, that should confront your fear. You should have courage because of that reality. It's like you humbled yourself. You set your heart to understand and your words, your prayers have been heard. So God take comfort that when you seek to understand God, you seek him with all your heart, as we've seen that you humble yourself and repent from your sin. And you pray to God, God will be found. God is eager to answer his people. That is a wonderful truth. But. But maybe you noticed this. He said from the first day, what's 21 days later? What's up with that? Your flight get canceled? Traffic? Like, what's. What's going on here? What's behind that? This is where it gets pretty interesting. Look at verse 13. I say this is where it's been interesting from chapter one. Let me just clarify a bit. This is where it gets extra interesting. The prince of the kingdom of persia withstood me 21 days. But Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia. Excuse me, what does this mean? What is he talking about here? So Daniel not only gets this peek at the glory of the Messiah, he also, in a conversation with an angel, gets a window into spiritual warfare. And remember what he told us at the beginning about this vision? It's true, and it involves great warfare or great conflict. So this peek into spiritual warfare is part of the vision. Like he's meant to understand this, too. Like, this is part of what he's being shown, what we're being shown. So this angel, or maybe Christ. Maybe it is Christ. Like I said in Revelation, after the vision, he touches John. What happens after the ascension of Christ? He does what? He sits down at the right hand of the Father. Well, what was he doing before? He was sitting. Was he fighting? I don't know. But there's trouble because it's like. Are you saying that Christ can be withheld? Like, that doesn't work. So there's challenges here. So maybe Christ, but perhaps another angel. That's what I tend to think. Maybe Gabriel is telling Daniel, hey, here's why I'm late. I've been fighting. I've been fighting the Prince of Persia. We've kind of been caught up in this battle. So I would have been here sooner, but I had some conflict I had to deal with. Well, who's the Prince of Persia? Who's this character? Well, he must be a spiritual being to withhold another spiritual being. And he must be an evil spiritual being to try to withhold a good spiritual being. But why is he called the Prince of Persia? What's that all about? If you flip over to Deuteronomy 32, this is interesting. Deuteronomy 32. This is Moses song. And it's towards the end of his life. And verse seven. We don't have verse seven up here, but verse seven gives us some context. He says the days of old. So he's talking about the ancient days. And when he says, when the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance and when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the people. So he's kind of dividing up peoples to areas of his creation. You're over here. You're over here. He's dividing up mankind. He fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God, to angels, to spiritual beings. So you get this idea that there are certain spiritual beings that have territories, that you have this area and you have this area and you have this area that are for good and bad, I would say for bad. Are exercising influence and power over those areas. Okay, you still with me? Okay, one of you is like this. We're gonna keep going. All right. Then he says this. But the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob, his allotted heritage. So God in his fallen creation is like, okay, you guys rebelled. Here you go. Spiritual being like, yeah, have dominion and rule over the earth and influence them. You got the world. I'll take a person. And what does he do with a person? He makes a nation. And what does he do with that nation? He brings the Messiah. What does the Messiah do? Wins back the world. So there's a big plan that God has that's unfolding here. So behind human systems. Here's my point. Behind human systems of our world is demonic activity. And America's no exception to that. Okay, so the Prince of Persia. It's like, okay, there's a spiritual being that seems to have authority and influence over Persia. Now, later in scripture, Satan is referred to as the Prince of this world. So it's like, you got somebody who has demonic influence over the world, and under him, there's people who have demonic influence over different territories and regions. And that's kind of how it's unfolding. We don't get a lot of information about all this in the Bible, but what we do get is clear that there is a complex spiritual world. And Satan has a very clever organization to undermine the things of God. That's why Paul says in Ephesians 6, you guys have read this before, but he says, finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God. Why? That you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh or blood. He's saying there's more going on than what you see. There's more to that than what you just see. It's not just flesh and blood that there's something beyond or behind flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil, against in the heavenly places, there's more going on than what you see. And Daniel gets a peek into that reality. Now you can imagine. Put yourself in Daniel's sandals. He's discouraged. It's not going the way he thought it would go. It's not going the way he would hope it would go. But then he gets this peek. You see how glorious your Messiah is. You see how glorious your Savior is. You see how powerful he. I mean, that was a display of power. He falls to his face and faints. He said, daniel, don't think because your circumstances are hard or different than what you wanted them to be that God's losing, that God's weak, that his plans won't be accomplished. There's more going on than what you see. Plus, I love this. Sometimes when we think of angels, we think of like effeminate men playing harps. But this dude is like, straight from the battlefield. He's like, daniel, I'm here because I was fighting somebody. I got something to tell you. And we tend to domesticate Christianity, but church, listen to me. The Bible uses so much violent talk. And if you really read the story from beginning to the end, it's about a God who slays a dragon to rescue his people. And there's violent imagery throughout Scripture putting sin to death in this talk, that we are caught up in the middle of this war and we need to act like we're in war, we're at war, because that's what's happening. Now. The violence that it talks about doesn't call us to violence against other people, but it does clearly state our circumstances. There is a battle going on. You're in the midst of a war that's being fought, and it's not against flesh or blood. But that doesn't mean there's not a war happening. And we need to act like that. We need to have that disposition in the Christian life. And we live in a culture. It constantly says safety first. And that mindset is so anti Christian. Safety is not first. Christ calls us to lay our lives down for his sake, to be willing to die, to take up our cross, to do hard things, to put ourselves at risk for the sake of the gospel. Don't buy into the lie of safety first. We want to be people that open handedly send our kids to the mission field for the glory of God, that trust God in all circumstances. So don't domesticate Christianity and certainly don't do it here. Okay? Go somewhere else and do it. This sounds bad. Don't do it at all. Okay? Don't do it at all. Verse 13. Let's read this again. The prince of the kingdom of persia withstood me 21 days. But Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. For I was left there with the kings of Persia and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come. So he's gonna tell them what he's gonna tell him and we won't get to that till next week. But he goes on. Verse 15. When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. He could have fainted again. And behold, we one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, o my Lord, by reason of the vision, pains have come upon me and I retain no strength. How can my Lord's servant talk with my Lord? For now no strength remains in me and no breath is left. This story is really familiar with Isaiah's experience in Isaiah chapter 6. Do you remember that when he gets caught up to the throne room of God, he gets blown away by the glory of God. And he's like, I'm in trouble. But then somebody touches his lips, you get that here again. He's like, strengthen him and he's resolved for him. It's just like, yes, God is holy, you need to get that first. But you also need to get, you're greatly loved by this God. So stand up, strengthen it. Like, buck up, buddy. That's what he. This is my translation. Then it says this, verse 18. Again, one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. And he said, oh man greatly loved. That's the second time it said that. Take notice of that, that's important. Oh, 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 I said, let, let my Lord speak, for you have strengthened me. Kind of like, here I am, send me. Go ahead and talk. You got my attention. And in this passage, this is really important, guys. In this passage we get a description of the attitude we're to have as Christians, or let me be more specific, we get the description of the attitude we are to have or the disposition we are to have as Christians in exile. How are we to live in a world that doesn't love God, that's not for the things of God. Here's what he says. Fear not, be at peace, be strong, have courage. That's what should describe a Christian. Fear not, be at peace, be strong, have courage. Where does that come from? Knowing you're greatly loved? Like, when you know you're greatly loved, you. You fear not, you're at peace, you're strong, you have courage. Or as Paul put it, if God is for you, who can be against you? Did you not just get this glorious picture of God? He's on your side, or you're on his side, more accurately. So chill out, Daniel. Like, relax, you're on the glory one side. He has everything in his control. So let it be known, Fear not, be at peace, be strong, have courage. Does that describe you? How do we get there? Because that's not where Daniel was. Daniel was caught up in discouragement. Things weren't going the way he wanted. How do we get out of that? How do we become encouraged? And encouraged literally means to breathe clear courage into someone. It's not just nice compliments, it's truth that confronts fear and worry and leads to bravery. So how do we get that? How do we have courage? And in this context, courage is, live faithfully when it's hard, live faithfully when it's scary, Live faithfully when it's costly. Here's what he says. Let's keep reading. Verse 20. 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 plural, except Michael, your prince. So we'll get into the message next week. He's like, I'm going to tell you what's in the Book of Truth. We'll get to that next week. But this angel is telling Daniel, look, I got to get back to the fire, right? I got somewhere I need to be. But I'm gonna let you in on some stuff because I gotta get back to that fight and fight the Prince of Persia. Cause no, who comes after the Prince of Persia, Prince of Greece. Now, why does he say that? Do you remember the kingdoms and the order of kingdoms that we go through? You have Babylon Then you have the Medo Persian empire. And then what comes next? Greek empire. Right. Who does some terrible things to the Jewish people. Michael went into a little bit of that in Daniel, chapter 8 with Antiochus Epiphanes. He's like, hey, there's another one coming. And I'm doing battle on behalf of God's people. And then he gives them an interesting piece of information. Look at the last part of verse 21. And there is none who contends by my side against these, except Michael, your prince. Michael, your prince. So just like Persia has a prince, Israel has a prince. And their prince is Michael. He is the chief of princes. He's the archangel. You got somebody with power looking out for you, Daniel, and your people. Now get this though. On earth, who does it seem like is stronger, Persia or Israel? Not a trick question. On earth, who seems stronger, Persia or Israel? Yeah, Persia. They're like ruling the world and have enslaved the Israelites. But when you kind of beyond the curtain, who's more powerful, Persia or Israel? Israel. Michael, like you got, like, Daniel, don't buy into what you just see, because there's more than what you just see. And if you only kind of draw on what you see, you're gonna be discouraged. But if you could see what you can't see, then you would be encouraged. So don't put too much stock in what you experience. But it's not the most interesting part. Now it's really interesting, but it's not the most interesting part, I think. Cause he says, there are none who contends by my side against these. Plural. Cause it says we were left with the kings of Persia as well. Except Michael, your prince. What's that about? Is he complaining to Daniel? We're a little short staffed, right? There's just a couple of us and, you know, I gotta get back. That doesn't fit. It just doesn't. Even if you kinda read it that way, it doesn't fit. Especially how this vision started. The vision started with a display of power, like God's flexin'. I mean, you get this vision of the majestic savior. That's how this vision starts. Of like, daniel, chill out. That's whose team you're on. All right? So you get this. It doesn't really fit there. And God has an untold number of angels to do his bidding. Like, even you go back to chapter seven and you get this vision of the ancient of days. It's like thousands and thousands of thousands bow before him. Like, there's no staffing shortage here, and there's Never been a lack of courage assigned to any angel. That doesn't make sense either. So listen, he's not telling scared, discouraged Daniel that they're outnumbered. That wouldn't be very helpful. He is telling scared, discouraged Daniel, hey, when it comes to contending against these, it's just two of us. We got this, Daniel. Stop sweating. Like God didn't even unleash his army. He just sent a couple of us. We got this. We can handle it. So trust in your God, Daniel. We're not weak. We're strong. Don't be confused by your circumstances. There's more going on than what you see. God is in control. Don't just take all your emotional cues to your experiences, Daniel. It's not just flesh and blood. There's so much beyond that. And God is sovereign over that, and his plan is unfolding. In fact, a couple places you see this in Scripture, it's all over. But one of my favorite Bible stories is in 2nd Kings 6, Elisha's servant, the Assyrians, have besieged the city. And he's freaking out. He says, when the servant of the man of God, that's Elisha, rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, alas, my master, what shall we do? He's in a bit of a panic. He said, this is Elijah saying, do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. In which the servant's probably thinking, my master can't count. Then Elisha prayed and said, oh, Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. He's like, you only see what you can see. And because you only see what you can see, you're discouraged. But if you could see what you can't see, you would be encouraged. Like, get a load of our God. He's in control of all things here. Take confidence. Another place you see this play out is Jesus. He's about to get betrayed by Judas. He's in the garden, and he's gonna get arrested. This is awesome. He says, and he came up to Jesus, Judas, at once and said, greetings, Rabbi. And he kissed him. And Jesus said to him, friend, do what you came to do. Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus, Peter, stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. So Peter's ready to fight. I respect that. Then Jesus said to him, put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. And do you. This is awesome. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father and he will at once send more than 12 legions of angels? But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so, Peter, chill out. Like, do you think we're losing right now? Do you think it's like, oh, no, they caught me. Like, are you only reacting to what you see and what you experience? Do you not know? At any moment I could just ask my father and twelve legions of angels would come clean up. But then what's supposed to happen is not gonna happen. So put your sword away. Chill out. Don't just see what you see, see what you can't see. It's your eyes of faith. God's plans are unfolding and nothing can stop them. Daniel, relax. It's not playing out the way you want it to play out, but it's playing out how it's supposed to play out. It's playing out how God has ordained it to play out. Relax. So back to the question the angel asked. Daniel, do you know why I've come to you? It's like, yeah, yeah, I got some information to give you. But do you know why I came to you? And if there's no shortage of angels that God could send to communicate, why did he take me off the front lines of a battle to come talk to you? Why am I here? And why am I here in this way that I'm coming from warfare to talk to you? Because remember, the peek into the warfare is part of the vision. It's part of what Daniel needed to understand. And God helped Daniel with his discouragement by expanding his perspective. Daniel, there's a fight going on. There's a fight that's going on that God's winning, so relax. We need to confront discouragement with a biblical spiritual perspective. There's more going on than what you see. There's more going on than that cancer. There's more going on than that job loss. There's more going on than that marital strife. There's more going on than this economy. There's more going on than these worldly conflicts and wars. And behind all that is God, and he's in control of it all, and his plans unfold. So fear not. Be at peace, be strong and have courage. And why do you have to be strong and have courage if you're supposed to be at peace. Cause sometimes we think peace is like, everything's easy. He's like, no, it's not easy, Daniel. It's really hard. But hard doesn't mean wrong. And you will go through hard things to give glory to God, but He is in control. So go through those hard things and trust him all the way. Put it this way. Listen. When you are discouraged by what is in front of you, be reminded of what is beyond you. And when you are reminded of what is beyond you, be encouraged for what is in front of you. You tracking with me there? Let me say this again, because this is a game changer for us. When you are discouraged by what is in front of you, be reminded of what is beyond you. And when you are reminded of what is beyond you, be encouraged what is in front of you. God is in control. You know what? Daniel knew this. Daniel knew that God was holy. He knew that God was powerful. He knew that God was sovereign. He's displayed that this whole book. But you know what? This was helpful and he needed it. He was discouraged. We need to be constantly reinforcing the size of our God to our own hearts because it leaks. You get into this world and you get into trials and difficulties, and your God starts to shrink in the size of your problems. And you start to think, God can't handle this. Our problems get big and our God gets small. And we need to constantly reinforce the size of our God to our own hearts. There's an old saying. It's not theologically accurate, but if Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy like you are already bad, right? But he's saying if he can't get you to sin, he'll just get you busy. Because in your busyness, you just get distracted. And when you're distracted, you're just fueled emotionally by only what you can see. And you're not reminded about what you can't see by faith. That is, our God is in control and he can't be trusted. You gotta reinforce the size of God to your own heart. Because if you don't, you will take all your emotional cues from just what's in front of us. And we won't live at peace. We won't have confidence in God's love for us or be strengthened or have courage. And sin will be dominated by worry and fear and anxiety. And that's not how we're called to live. I love how Paul puts it. This is Second Corinthians. We just did this book, he says, so we are always of good. What Courage. Remember that we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. That's a description of a Christian. We don't live or walk or function by just what we see. We live and we function, but what we don't see. And when we do that, we walk by faith. And it leads to what? Courage? Which implies what? If you're walking by sight, it leads to discouragement, fear, anxiety, worry. And that's not what we're called to live. So if you are scared, hear me now. If you are scared, if you're worried, if you're depressed, if you're anxious in this world, perhaps it's pointing to a worship problem. Your problems are really big. The things stressing you out are really big. And your God's not big enough to really give you comfort in those. God's great, but he just can't. He's not great for this. And what you need is what Daniel got. A vision of God that puts your face in the dirt in the most holy way. Puts you in a position where you are genuinely saying, oh, my God, how awesome is my God. How big is my God, how glorious is my God. And when that's your vantage point, your problems shrink in the size of your God. So here's what I want us to remember. Be in all of God, to be at peace in this world. Be at all of God. Be at peace in this world. And the glory of God is seen clearly when he could have called 12 legions of angels down, but instead he went to the cross to deliver a death blow to sin. And in that, he declares to his people, you're greatly loved. You're greatly loved. And if God is for you, who can be against you? And Daniel's discouraged during Passover. It's Passover, this remembrance of God's salvation. And the angel comes and gives him this vision of Messiah. He's like Daniel. You can't be depressed of Passover. You can't be discouraged at Passover. Do you not know what it's saying? God saves his people. Perk up. And church. Let me tell you this. You can't be discouraged and take communion. Those two things don't go together. Cause do you know what communion's saying? You're greatly loved. So fear not. Be at peace and buck up. That's my translation. Let's pray. Father, I pray that we would be so captivated by your greatness that the things of this world that discourage us, that scare us, that depress us would just fade away in the light of your glory. And we would trust you in all things. We would be excited to serve you. We'd be excited to see you someday. We would live for you. And abiding in you, we would find joy. So Father, I pray. Pray that as we remember your sacrifice, that we would fear not. That we would be reminded how greatly we are loved. And we would live out of that and serve you. Give us a vision of you that puts our face in the dirt. We pray in your name. Amen.