When? Ever wonder when God's going to answer a prayer? God sent the prophet Daniel an angel to answer that question...

Dan 9:23 At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God. So consider the message and understand the vision... Holman Christian Standard Bible.

An answer given, at the beginning of the prayer...Isn't that exactly what we want God to do? Read more about Daniel's prayer in Daniel, chapter 9. Other translations say, "a word was given". So let's just look at the order here-

At the beginning of Daniel's prayer
An answer went out
OK, so we don't all get an Angel to deliver the message : )
For we are treasured by God
So consider the message and understand the vision...

Consider how that might change how we pray. We know that one of the purposes of prayer is to get us into God's presence.

Think for a minute about just that. In our real lives, when we take a minute and sit down with someone we love- what's the first thing we want to talk about? Often, it's a "how are you?" or something related. Would we ever ask God, "So, how's it going?" Probably not, and yet we, who are made in His relational image could reflect back to Him what He is to us. Words of worship, gratitude, His own words form the Word, or silence- just gathering ourselves into His presence.

And then, at some point, knowing that an answer will be sent, we can pour out our hearts and requests. Knowing He's a big God whose ways we may not always understand...but we know Him and that we are treasured even beyond our capacity to understand. And it is that God on the receiving end of all our prayers...