Fluffy, His Posse, and the Battle We Cannot See
I used to have a farm. Well, I was not a proper farmer, but let’s just say we raised a large variety of livestock over the years. One of my favorite things was raising chickens. Every three years or so, I would order new chicks to replenish the flock. In the intervening years, I had to walk quickly past the chicks at the feed store or Tractor Supply to avoid temptation. Most of our chicks arrived in the mail, much to the delight of our mail carrier. We would set up a nursery for them—well protected because my dogs were chicken killers—and everyone except my one chicken-hating daughter wanted to hold them and play with them. My kids took chicks into their rooms—which was frowned upon—and, when the chickens were older, sometimes even took them for rides on the swings.
Normally, when I ordered chicks, I made sure to order females, or pullets. Except for one year when I apparently lost my mind and ordered a straight run. For those unfamiliar with chicken terminology, a straight run is a batch of unsexed chicks. You get what you get. Unfortunately for my greatly outnumbered hens, we got a lot of roosters.
And that is where our story begins.
When Cute Little Chicks Become Homegrown Terrorists
Roosters can be annoying. But a large group of roosters? They can become territorial, aggressive, and downright intimidating. As our numerous roosters grew from adorable little fluff balls into what can only be described as homegrown terrorists, they developed the habit of running at people in a V-formation. There was a ringleader at the front. I vaguely remember my daughter naming him Fluffy. So Fluffy and his gang would charge at you across the yard in formation. It was quite intimidating—especially for the children.
Between their attacks on humans and their relentless harassment of the hens, the roosters eventually sealed their fate. I put out a hit on them. Fluffy and his posse were assisted into chicken heaven. And, for years, I forgot all about them.
Until I read Daniel 10.
Daniel Prayed—and an Unseen Battle Began
Daniel had received a terrifying vision. In response, he mourned, humbled himself before God, and fasted from delicacies, meat, and wine for three weeks. Twenty-one days. Then, while Daniel stood beside the Tigris River, an angel appeared to him.
“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.”
—Daniel 10:12
Daniel’s prayer was heard on the first day. But the answer did not arrive for twenty-one days. Why?
The angel continued:
“The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.”
—Daniel 10:13
Later, the angel told Daniel that the battle was not over:
“But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.”
—Daniel 10:20
Daniel was praying on earth.
Meanwhile, a battle was taking place in the heavenly realms. Daniel’s prayer was heard immediately. The answer was delayed by spiritual opposition because the angelic beings were actively engaged in battle and the conflict continued even after the message reached Daniel.
Daniel could not see the battle.
But that did not make the battle any less real.
There Is More Happening Than We Can See
We read about angels and demons in the Bible.
We quote verses about spiritual warfare:
“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”
—2 Corinthians 10:4
But in the course of our daily lives, how often do we really think about what is happening in the heavenly realms?
Scripture tells us that angels are:
“Ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.”
—Hebrews 1:14
Daniel 10 gives us a glimpse of these ministering spirits engaged in battle against spiritual forces of evil. Another extraordinary glimpse appears in 2 Kings. Elisha and his servant were surrounded by an enemy army. The servant saw the soldiers, horses, and chariots surrounding the city and cried out in fear.
Elisha answered:
“Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
—2 Kings 6:16
Then Elisha prayed:
“O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.”
—2 Kings 6:17
God opened the servant’s eyes. Suddenly, he saw what had been there all along. The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha. The servant had looked at his circumstances and believed they were outnumbered.
Elisha knew better.
The servant saw the enemy…Elisha saw the power of God.
The servant saw an impossible situation…Elisha knew there was an unseen reality greater than the visible threat.
Those who were with them were more than those who were against them.
Heaven Is Not Passive
The angels who worship the God of all creation are not sitting around waiting for something to happen. They are doing the Lord’s bidding. They ministered to Jesus in the wilderness. They deliver messages. They serve God’s purposes.
They protect. They worship. And Scripture gives us glimpses of them engaged in spiritual battles that most of us will never see.
Think about that.
When we enter each new day, we are entering a world in which God is already at work. When we go to the grocery store or sit in a coffee shop, and when we board an airplane, we are surrounded by angels doing the Lord’s bidding and fighting the hard battles.
When we encounter opposition, God and his army of angels are on the job. When circumstances look impossible, God is at work.
The absence of visible evidence does not mean the absence of God’s activity.
Daniel prayed for twenty-one days without seeing an answer.
But heaven was not silent.
Heaven was at war.
Walk With the Confidence of Fluffy
And that is when, completely unbidden, the picture of Fluffy and his posse came back to my mind. Fluffy never walked anywhere timidly. He strutted. And when trouble appeared, he did not come alone. He came charging across the yard with his entire posse behind him. V-formation. Chest out. Absolutely convinced that he owned the place.
Ridiculous?
Yes.
But there is something here I do not want to forget. As followers of Jesus, we do not walk into difficult situations alone. We pray to the God who commands the armies of heaven. We serve the God who opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant and revealed mountains filled with horses and chariots of fire. We worship the God who heard Daniel’s prayer on the very first day. We belong to the God whose purposes cannot be defeated.
That does not mean we will never suffer.
It does not mean every prayer will be answered the way we expect.
And it does not mean we should become preoccupied with angels, demons, or trying to understand everything happening in the spiritual realm.
Our confidence is not in angels.
Our confidence is in the God who commands them.
So perhaps we can learn something from Fluffy. We can walk into every situation with confidence—not because we are powerful, but because our God is. We can pray persistently when answers seem delayed. We can stand firm when opposition comes. We can refuse to measure reality only by what our eyes can see.
And we can remember the words Elisha spoke to his frightened servant:
“Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Daniel prayed. God heard him on the first day. Daniel continued praying for twenty-one days without knowing that a battle was taking place beyond his sight. Elisha faced overwhelming forces with confidence even before he saw God’s army around him.
Keep walking forward when the opposition looks overwhelming. Remember that the world you can see is not the whole story. And every once in a while, when you need a reminder to walk with a little more confidence, picture a ridiculous rooster named Fluffy charging across a farmyard with his entire posse behind him.
Then remember:
The God of heaven is at work.
You do not walk alone.
And those who are with us are more than those who are with them.
