On the way

Daniel dropped to his knees, as he always did, and prayed. He prayed for Judah. He prayed for atonement on Judah's behalf. He made a plea for God's glory to visit His people. It's one of the most powerful prayers preserved in the Word. (Daniel 9)

Gabriel shows up (bam! Just like that) and says, "At the beginning of your pleas for mercy, a word went out..."

Hold on...... What?

This means, at some point, while Daniel was still praying, Gabriel was dispatched from heaven, and in swift flight, plummeted to earth to bring to Daniel sweet understanding straight from the Father.

"At the beginning of your pleas for mercy, a word went out..."

Think about that. Daniel opens his mouth to speak which sent out a word, that began to murmur through the heavens until it reached the Father's ears. Gabriel was then dispatched to earth from the throne room. The Hebrew tenses in this verse are strong. It's like the Father holds up his hands, "Hush up now! My kid is talking."

As Daniel stared wide-eyed and mouth agape at this most astonishing truth, Gabriel continues: "I have come to tell it to you, for you are GREATLY LOVED."

Speechless. Mic. Drop.

... if we only knew the power of prayer, and how attentive our Father is to listen, wouldn't we pray without ceasing?

God, remind us of this. What a wonder You are!