Daniel is afraid. He is afraid of the wonderful man, of God, who has appeared to him. But then God himself says, Fear not!
Daniel’s life is marked by love and reverence for the Lord. Daniel lives in deep reverence for the Lord and is therefore loved by the Lord. He is meek and humble. He lives in deep trust and dependence on the Lord.
We often hear the words humble
in church. But what does it actually mean? To humble yourself is to know how small you are before the Lord, and to confess your guilt and sin before God. You realize that you have no claim to salvation and protection from God. You go to the Lord in prayer again and again as a supplicant, someone who pleads for mercy. Then you are humble and no longer trust in yourself. Anyone who lives this way with the Lord may know that through the work of Christ they do not need to be afraid of God. Those who know themselves to be small before the Lord need not be afraid and can meet Christ with confidence. Then the Lord will hear your prayer just as he also listened to the prayers of Daniel. That is the message that the Son brings to Daniel. It is an answer to his prayer.
12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.