Daniel 10:10-11 - A touch from God

Daniel 10:10 (NLTse)

[10] Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. [11] And the man said to me, "Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you." When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.

1. Mt 8:3 Jesus touched a leper and cleansed him, and in verse 15 he touched a woman with fever and healed her.
2. Mt 9:29 Jesus touched the eyes of two blind men and gave them sight.
3. Mt 17:7 Jesus touched the disciples who were filled with fear after seeing the transfiguration when Jesus was talking with Moses and Elijah
4. Mt 20:34 Jesus again touched the eyes of two blind men and gave them sight.
5. Rev 1:17 John was touched the Son of Man
6. 1 Ki 19:5,7 Elijah was touched by an angel twice while he was sleeping in the desert after fleeing Jezebel.
7. Jer 1:9 Jeremiah’s mouth was touched by the Lord after calling him to speak his words.
8. Dan 8:18; 10:10, 18 Daniel was touched by an angel and strengthened.

God’s touch, whether directly or indirectly, strengthens, heals, restores, encourages, and equips. We are in the midst of a great war in the heavens. Battle is raging all around us, and while we may not see it, we may not even feel it, but it is there and it affects the world in which we live. The result is that we are often filled with anxiety and fear even when we don’t know where it’s coming from. We feel hopeless. We feel lost. We feel frustrated and even angry. We are irritated and we don’t know why. The uncertainty of our world confuses, conflicts, and unsettles us. We need a touch from God.

There is something about touch that is important and significant to us. A sick child feels better at the gentle touch of a mother’s hand. Touch comforts us. It lets us know that someone cares. In these times, it is not the touch of another human, although even that would go a long way toward reducing anxiety because of loneliness and isolation, but what we need more than anything is a touch from God.

Daniel 10 corresponds to the time when Ezra was rebuilding the temple. The work was delayed, and Daniel probably heard that the work was delayed. At a time when they should have been celebrating in memory of Passover, Daniel was mourning and fasting. That’s what brought the angel to him. We too need a touch from God. We need his touch of peace. We need his touch of hope and faith. It’s humility and brokenness that prepare us to feel the touch of God. Pride and self-dependency often keep us from it.