How our Prayers Affect the Spiritual World

I wrote in an earlier article that prayer is one of the weapons that God has given us in our spiritual warfare. Sometimes we can forget this part of our armor, and how important intercession is to advancing God’s kingdom.

In the book of Daniel, we get an interesting glimpse into the role that prayer plays in spiritual conflict. Daniel was praying and fasting for three weeks, seeking understanding of the visions he had received. After the 21 days, an angel appeared to him with the following message:

Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 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. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”
–Daniel 10:12-14

Do you see what is happening here? As soon as Daniel set his heart to seek the Lord in prayer, God sent an angel to answer him. But the angel was held up in a spiritual conflict with the “prince of the kingdom of Persia.” A spiritual battle ensued with this demonic principality, and then God sent the angel Michael to help bring victory.

As far as Daniel could tell, nothing was happening at all during this 21 day fast. But in the spiritual realm, things were moving. He kept praying, and finally the answer came.

When you pray, you may not always be aware of what is happening. But be encouraged that your prayers are affecting things in the unseen world. A battle is raging, and our prayers are shifting things in the heavenlies. We must persevere in seeking God and interceding for His kingdom to come and will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven.”

Whether we realize it or not, our prayers are changing things in the spiritual world. And one of the keys for prevailing prayer is steadfast perseverance. Like Daniel, we must set our hearts toward the Lord, and press through until the answer comes!