Have you ever experienced a moment where you are so overwhelmed, confused, and desperate that you want God to show up and tell you what the future holds and what he wants you to do? That's precisely what happens in Daniel today. Daniel 9:20-23 reads:

While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, "O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. — Daniel 9:20-23

I think we have all been in a place of desperation. So desperate, we want God to show up and give us an answer. This is where Daniel is. As he writes this chapter, he is going through a significant transition in the empire. He knows his world is about to be undone. It probably feels like a substantial transition in the workplace where you get a new CEO at the helm, and he will lay off a considerable percentage of the workforce. But in Daniel's day, they didn't fire people — they cut their heads off. So while all this is stirring in his heart, he searches for hope in God's Word and discovers that national sin was the issue that led to this moment in time. He prays an incredible prayer of repentance, turning to God for salvation, and Gabriel shows up at the close of his prayer.

Wouldn't you like this to happen to you? To get direct access to God by an agent at his disposal. I bet someone out there listening today wants just that. And guess what? You can have it.

As a follower of Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit. This Spirit lives in you and intercedes for you. Most of the time, we don't know he's around because we don't spend time doing things that increase our awareness of him. Daniel is doing things in this text that increase his awareness of the divine. He is reading God's Word. He's confessing sin. He's fasting. He's praying. And while he is doing these spiritual things, God sends Gabriel to give him spiritual answers and to tell him the one thing he needs to know — that he is greatly loved by God.

Fellas, if you want spiritual answers, maybe it's time to do spiritual things that increase your sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Because he is listening and speaking, and men who know him tend to hear more from God.

ASK THIS: How are you going to increase your spiritual sensitivity?

DO THIS: Tune into the Spirit.

PRAY THIS: God, I want to hear from your Spirit.

PLAY THIS: Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here.

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