We continue with our meditations in The Book of Daniel, as we continue to dig deeper into verse 13 of Chapter 10. It reads,
"But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia."
What was in the mind of Jacob, as he prepared to head back to Canaan, away from his father-in-law, but to his twin-brother, whom he had betrayed? [Genesis 30:20-21; 32] He was running away from one who had best him at the game of deception to the place he had left because of deception.
He was running from a place he had come to the end of himself to a place he had to confront himself. And God specializes in bring us all to that place. Until we do, we do not start our re-birth process. Our re-birth begins at the place where we truly come to the end of ourselves and begin to live as is written in the volumes of the book concerning us. [Psalm 40:7-9; Hebrews 10:7]
This is what the Apostolic refer to as the second work of grace, "Sanctification." Sanctification is the purification of the heart of a person—a dedication to God, and His way. It is the yielding to the influence of the Spirit and the Word. [John 3:5; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 2:12-13]
It is the dying process, that Christ might live in and through one, indeed. [Galatians 2:20] It is a circumcision process and might leave a certain physical or psychological mark as a memorial. [Deuteronomy 10:12-16; Romans 2:25-29; Colossians 2:11]
Jacob had sought for the easy life without opposition with Laban, yet he found the opposite. What he found did not give him the rest he sought for all his life, till he came to himself. And was ready to combat himself. He thus wrestled with himself till he got the breakthrough he sought.
He was done running. He was done chasing. He had found the peace he sought in God and in himself, under God. He was now ready to face life as it is, not necessarily as he wanted it. He could face life as it is, with God on his side.
The Saint.
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