Touched by an angel ∙

Touched by an angel ∙

Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. – Daniel 10:10

Daniel 10:17-19

 17 How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.”

 18 Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning.

 19 “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”

Touched by an Angel was a somewhat idealistic, and uplifting American fantasy television series. It ran for 9 seasons, with a total of 211 episodes, between 1994 and 2003. The two main characters were Monica and her supervisor Tess. Angels were dispatched from heaven to encourage people who were at difficult places in their lives. The angels did not bring answers to every problem, but they always delivered a message of hope. They always displayed the Father’s love and frequently helped people turn their lives around. One curiosity regarding the series, rather than riding about in a fiery chariot, Tess drove a 1972 Cadillac Eldorado Fleetwood for most of the show.

What is it really like to be touched by an angel? The Old Testament Scriptures,

contain several instances of angelic manifestations in bodily form along with those of the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ.

The prophet Daniel had been given mysterious and baffling prophecies by the angel Gabriel. They concerned the future of his people and the coming of the Messiah. What Daniel heard was far beyond his human comprehension. He began to pray and fast earnestly, seeking understanding.

His prayer was interrupted by a most wonderful sight. Daniel hears a voice speaking to him. The figure appeared partly like a man and partly as an angel, only more radiant and brilliant than Gabriel.

Daniel 10:12 Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard. I have come in answer to your prayer.

What exactly, or perhaps Whom exactly did Daniel see?

Daniel 10:5-6

 5 I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist.

 6 His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.

This description is remarkably similar to that which John saw and recorded (Revelation 1:10-16). Was it the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ? Or was it an angelic messenger such as Gabriel? Perhaps the best answer is both! But a fuller explanation is for another day. What matters here is what happens next.

Daniel was overwhelmed and simply collapsed. Daniel’s strength left him, and he became deathly pale and was very weak. He fainted and lay prostrate with his face to the ground (Daniel 10:8-9). Collapsing or falling prostrate is a very normal response to visitations from the Father’s angels. The same is true of appearances of pre-incarnate and post-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ.

Daniel 10:10 Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees.

He was indeed touched by an angel or perhaps even more.

Daniel 10:11-14

 11 And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.

 12 Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.”

 14 “Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”

Daniel was still overwhelmed and in awe, he had difficulty breathing. Perhaps he stood there weak and trembling. But then Daniel shows his humility and submissive spirit. Daniel gives us a glimpse into his heart.

Daniel 10:17-19

 17 How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.”

 18 Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning.

 19 “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”

Daniel is touched a second time, and his strength returned. He was more curious than ever.

REFLECT & PRAY

The Father encourages us through both His written and awe-inspiring messengers often in dreams, visions, and on very rare occasions, personal visitations.

Father thank You for reaching out and touching us and inviting us to experience You.

INSIGHT

The figure appearing before Daniel was unlike anything he had ever seen before with one possible exception. The visitor had the appearance of a man but also an angel. Daniel was not sure whether he was seeing a vision or a real man. No doubt he was floating in and out of consciousness. Something seemed familiar. He looked like the Son of Man, Whom he had seen earlier in a dream and visions when the Son of Man appeared before the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13).

Daniel’s mind was now clear. Something marvelous and remarkable had occurred. For a brief moment, Daniel felt as though he was in the very presence of the Most High, feeding off the life and light radiating from Him. In that instant, he become aware of the existence of knowledge on a level so much higher than his aging mind could comprehend. It transcended mere knowledge. It was a special place where truth, knowledge, and experience kiss.

Somehow, Daniel in his feeble humanity, for a brief moment, supernaturally melded with the mind of the Eternal. He had a brief, close encounter with the very thoughts of the living God. He became aware of the wonderful, special wisdom and intelligence that spoke all things into existence. But this experience was about more than mere information.

Why had the Father given him such a glimpse into His thoughts and mind? It whetted his appetite for more. He wanted Daniel to have more than a brief taste. Surely, He was inviting Daniel to experience daily the reality of the Father’s Kingdom. He was inviting him to live on a higher plain where sinful thoughts are extinguished by the Father’s all-encompassing purity. In this wonderful place, his worldly concerns were replaced by the Father’s perspective and desires. The Father wanted Daniel to see things through His eyes. The Father was not merely inviting him to experience His Kingdom. He was inviting Daniel to experience Him!

And so it is for each child of the King!

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© Dr. H 2022