In reading through Daniel the other night, I was blown away by the gems of wisdom and encouragement to be found in this book of the Bible. Not only in the stories of the lion's den or fiery furnace (which of course are epic and inspiring in every way), but in the accounts of Daniel's heavenly visions, there are so many profound verses that remind me of the love, strength, and peace that God offers to his followers.
I love it when the Bible comes to life this way, when verses seem to glow off the page to touch my heart with new, much-needed inspiration in a time of spiritual need. The verses that affect me most always depend on whatever I'm going through in life at that time, and in this case, I took the most encouragement from Gabriel's words to Daniel in chapter 10.
Don't be afraid, he said, for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong! {Daniel 10:19}
I was struck by the incredible power of these words. By what it would have felt like to hear God's angelic messenger tell me, face to face, that I am personally precious in the eyes of my creator. What an incredible experience! And on top of that, in a time of doubt and despair, this message of encouragement came directly from an angel to strengthen Daniel in his walk of faith and his pursuit of righteousness. Amazing.
On one hand, I can look at this passage and think, "Wow. How encouraging for Daniel."
But on the other, even more wonderful hand, I think, "Wow. How encouraging for me."
That's the beauty of this verse, of this book, of the Bible itself- that everything contained in the Word of God is still true for us today, thousands of years after the fact. This verse, a command of strength, peace and courage that once brought hope to Daniel, means exactly the same thing for us today as it did for him in 539 B.C.
So don't be afraid. You- and I mean YOU- are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be STRONG!