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."
So, what did Jesus mean when he said,
“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” [John 11:41-42]
There are three parts to Jesus' statement. One, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me." This refers to an encounter that had taken place before the point in time of the statement. Jesus had prayed prior to this encounter. So, he was essentially giving thanks for God's answer to his prior prayer.
Jesus' encounter with death Lazarus was not his first time talking to the Father about the incident. He had prayed prior and was confident of the Father's will and answer on the issue. He saw the Father's bend on the issue and was here following suit. He was not forcing the hand of God on the matter. He was working as he saw His Father. [John 5:17]
The second part we see in Jesus' statement is, "And I know that You always hear Me." Why? Why does God always hear Jesus, and why was Jesus confident about this? I guess it is not far from 1 John 5:14-15, John 5:17, and Matthew 6:33. Jesus was in sync with the Father's will. He was about His Kingdom, Lordship, Glory, Will, and Righteousness.
Hence, he could be confident of the Father ALWAYS hearing him. Note, "The Father" is NEVER the one in short supply. We are. [Isaiah 59:1-2]
"Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit." (James 5:17-18)
You would suppose if God could answer Jesus and Elijah, He'll answer us also, only if we fit the billing.
The Saint.
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