Daniel 10 is one of my favorite Scriptures concerning spiritual warfare. It doesn’t spend time building a theology on the topic, but the description of the unfolding events gives us practical insight into how prayer and fasting works.
Daniel needed a spiritual breakthrough. He needed to know the interpretation of the prophecies concerning the future of God’s people. He was the kind of man to whom spiritual matters mattered most! He decided that getting God’s revelation on what was happening concerning the nation of Israel was more important than food. He said the following, “In those days I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all, until the entire three weeks were completed (Daniel 10:2-3).
Here’s where it gets really interesting. While Daniel fasted and prayed for 21 days, he did not know that his prayers were setting up a victory for an angel sent to deliver the breakthrough Daniel sought. As Daniel prayed, the angel delivering the message was fighting the powers of a fallen angel who was assigned to the nation of Persia. This dark being called “the Prince of Persia” was effective in hindering Daniel’s prayers. But Daniel refused to stop praying and fasting until he received what he was asking for. In response to Daniel’s prayers, the archangel Michael was sent to help the messenger overpower the Prince of Persia. The interesting thing is that when the messenger arrived, he told Daniel, “From the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words (Daniel 10:12). This teaches me that the Lord hears my prayer request from the first moment (even before I ask), but when I prevail in prayer, I will set up a victory in the spiritual realm against that which tries to hinder the answer to my prayers. Through fasting and prayer, Daniel won both a personal victory and a national victory for Israel.
The messenger told Daniel that from the moment he started to pray and to humble himself, the Lord sent the answer. Fasting is a means of humbling ourselves. It is an expression of those who are poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us that humbling ourselves is a necessary part of praying for the healing of our land. Like never before, a fasting and praying church needs to arise in America. Like never before, fasting and praying needs to be part of the practice and discipline of the American church. Are we in need of a breakthrough? The Lord is ready to do great things for us, and He desires to heal our land.