The Breath-Taking Experience

UV 659/10,000 The Breath-taking Vision, The Strength-Giving Touch “Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed,” he said. “ Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “ Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.” Daniel 10 v 19 When the Lord appears in physical form before us, we too will be dumb-struck and breathless and almost paralysed with fear and awe like Daniel. The person that appeared before Daniel as he was with others on the bank of the Tigris after 21 days or three weeks of fasting, praying and mourning was none other than a Christophany or an appearance of Christ in His glorious form before He assumed birth and a physical body on earth. The description of the person is similar if not identical with the description by St John in the book of Revelation. He was dressed in white linen with a belt of pure gold symbolizing royalty, purity and righteousness. His body was like chrysolite symbolizing the infinite glory of God, His face like lightning reflecting His power and might, His eyes like flaming torches symbolizing His deep insight into our hearts and minds, His arms and legs like burnished bronze reflecting His immaculate perfection and His voice like the sound of a multitude symbolizing His authority in the whole universe. The vision took away not just Daniel’s strength but also his breath. He was overcome with fear and became speechless. But, the Lord re-assured Daniel and spoke highly of him as one beloved or esteemed not just by men but by God Himself. Truly, when we humble ourselves before God on a daily basis and serve Him, we too will be esteemed and loved by God. He will look upon us and say, “ My good and faithful servant(s).” Daniel was a “part time” government servant and a full time servant of God. He set aside special times and seasons to be with the Lord. The Lord saw and heard him from the first day he humbled himself before Him. His reverence for God filled him with wisdom, knowledge, understanding and abilities beyond the ordinary. But, even he was not prepared for the glorious vision of God. This is, perhaps, the reason why God hides Himself from weak, sinful and corrupt mankind when such a man of integrity and faith himself could not stand before Him. But, the Lord touched Daniel and restored his strength. He touched his lips and he could speak. He then said as He spoke many years later to the raging storm waters of the Sea of Galilee, “ Peace, be still.” He commanded Daniel to be strong. Today, He commands and exhorts us with the same words, “ Be strong as you face the storms of life.” The essence of peace and strength is contained in the Hebrew word, Shalom that means a combination of peace, joy, blessing, prosperity, success, wholesomeness, abundance, grace, health, happiness, well being, victory. We need to approach the presence of the Lord every day with such reverence as Daniel. We must see the vision of the glorified Christ in our spiritual eyes. Then, we must await His touch and His words of encouragement that will enable us to stand and to be strong. The fears and tears of all our years will disappear and new courage, hope and faith will rise from within us. We need to be strengthened with the Word of God before we receive a vision. Once we receive the vision, we will be empowered to serve God even more. Therefore, we must desire a vision, a touch and the Word from the Lord. Our perception, our feeling, our hearing , understanding and belief are involved in our daily walk with God. We cannot experiment with the Truth or God but we can encounter and experience Him. Prateep V Philip