15 “While he was speaking to me, I looked down at the ground, unable to say a word. 16 Then the one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, “I am filled with anguish because of the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak. 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.”
Endurance sports require athletes to fuel up at certain times during the race. That fuel looks like a goo pack or a water bottle that has been mixed with electrolytes and carbohydrates, giving the athlete some much-needed calories to keep going. These athletes need additional calories to finish the race and also to perform at their highest levels. You see, without fueling during the race, you would bonk! Bonking is running out of fuel. I have bonked many times on long rides, and it all happened because I did not fuel properly and stay with my hydration plan. Bonking is no fun. You feel like every ounce of energy has been sucked right out of you. In a nutshell, you’re done.
Daniel was on the bank of the Tigris River. He had been in mourning for three weeks while under a restricted diet. On the bank of the river, he suddenly saw an angel in the sky. Daniel was the only one who saw this angel while his other friends ran off scared. This angel began to speak, and the earth shook. Daniel went straight to the ground, lying on his face trembling. The angel touched him and told him to get up. Standing, trembling, the angel told Daniel that he was very precious to the Lord and that he was going to give him a vision of the future.
The angel told him that since the first day he prayed, three weeks ago, he was dispatched from heaven to answer his prayer, but the demonic prince of Persia blocked his way to Daniel. He had to summon Michael, one of the archangels, to help out so he could bring the message to Daniel.
When Daniel was there looking at the angel, he was unable to speak, not saying a word. Daniel writes that “one who looked like a man” came and touched his lips, and Daniel opened his mouth and began to speak. Daniel, now able to speak, says he is very weak and filled with anguish because of the vision he had received. He goes on to say, “How can I, Daniel, even speak because I am so weak?”
The one who looked like a man touched Daniel again, and he felt his strength return. He said to Daniel, “Don’t be afraid, for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” (v. 18). Daniel then suddenly felt stronger and said to the one who looked like a man, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
We all run out of juice from time to time. I am not talking about being physically tired though. I am speaking to those who are bonking spiritually, you have run out of spiritual strength. You no longer have the faith to weather the storm you are in. You have quit thinking that the valley you are in is only a valley, but instead see it as a lifetime of anguish. I want to direct your attention to the one thing that strengthened Daniel. Verse 19 says that he spoke to Daniel, and Daniel was strengthened. This one who looked like a man was Jesus speaking to Daniel. When he spoke, Daniel was strengthened.
Now Jesus is in heaven, and we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, so we often don’t get audible messages from Jesus, but we do have His very words in the Bible. When I have been in the bonking stage of life, I need to get into the word of God. Not only does it inform us and guide us, it also strengthens us and lifts us up from our own way of thinking. You see, when I was bonking on a ride, all I wanted to do was stop and rest. Without fuel, that is exactly what was going to happen. It is only when I refueled that I got a spring in my step and I was ready for some more miles.
If you are not at all feeling like conquering life, I encourage you to get in the word of God and refuel. We all need a fresh daily dose of Jesus every day. When I am going on a long ride, I always pre-plan ahead and bring my fuel and hydration plan together before I start. You need to plan your Jesus time so you can endure the world ahead of you. Plan your prayer time, plan your reading time, because it will strengthen you just like it did when Jesus spoke to Daniel.
Prayer: Father, help us to plan to read your word and pray to you every day. I know that the word will refresh and strengthen me just like it did when you spoke to Daniel. I commit to confessing the word out loud over my life and my family and my job today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let It Go 
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