Trust The Lord, And He Will Reveal To You
Today's Bible Verse
Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them His mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon. That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.
(Daniel 02: 17-19. NLT)
There are many incidents and emotions in our personal, family, social, professional and spiritual life that we are unable to comprehend or understand. We go searching for answers to the troubling issues related to our bodies, mind, relationships, children, studies, careers, social life, ministry and so many things about the future. We consult experts, we ask someone to guide us, we go in for scanning, we ask our friends to clarify, somebody suggests a therapy, we check it out from those who have had similar experiences and we even ask Google's help in finding the answers. Sometimes, unanswered questions lead us to severe damage and the effects of the damage can be felt on all sides of our life. All these places that we went searching for would have had no answers. Now, what do we do? What do we do in such circumstances when we have no possible way of finding out what is going on in our lives? Where do we find the answers to our questions of why, how and what for?
Daniel, the prophet, came across a similar situation in his life. As a young man, Daniel was living in exile in Babylon but was recognised as one of the wise men in King Nebuchadnezzar's royal administration and service. In other words, Daniel was one of the 'Chartered Wise Men' in Babylon who was in the capacity of advising the king on various affairs concerning the kingdom. Such was his social status even while in exile. But the same position brings home the threat of death. I encourage you to read the book of Daniel, chapter 02, verses 01 - 12 to have a reminder of events that led to this extent in Daniel's life. Today, can we have a look at how Daniel handled such a clueless and threatening situation in his life? I am sure this will help us to overcome similar situations in our lives too.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a strange dream one night. Troubled by this dream, he called his prominent wise men and asked them to tell and interpret his dream; they were asked to, first, tell what the dream was, and then were expected to tell the meaning of it. Their immediate response was to say that the king's demand was impossible. They wanted the king to tell the dream and assured their interpretation of it. But there was not a single magician, enchanter, sorcerer or astrologer who was ready to tell what the dream was. This indeed made the king disappointed, cheated and furious, and he orders all wise men in Babylon to be executed. And, as Daniel and his friends were also on the list, men were sent to kill them. Now, how did Daniel face such a situation with the help of the Lord? The Bible very accurately says, "When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion" (02: 14).
Daniel inquired about the situation.
The king's servants are at his door with the news of his death, but Daniel is focused on what can be done for the situation to change. Daniel very carefully inquires about the situation and the reason for this urgent decision to be made by the king. When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” and found his answers. This is the first step of faith we find in Daniel. Instead of panicking and becoming upset about the news, he inquires about this situation and tries to find out where God's power is to be felt. He sure knows that there must be a space where the Lord will intervene. And Daniel, indeed, finds that space. Today, how do we react to such urgent situations? Do we worry about the problem or do we realise that there is still a space where God's hands can do its mighty miracle?
Daniel went to the king at once and spoke.
This would have been the last option anyone would have thought of in such a terrible situation. Who would dare to go and stand in front of a furious king? And, not just to bow down and stand before him, but to open the mouth and speak? I realise this is where Daniel's faith in the Lord is expressed so wonderfully. Daniel did not go in search of anyone else in the hierarchy; instead, he directly goes to the king, the one on top of it all. It was the king who had an issue with the wise men of his country and Daniel had the strength to go and stand in front of the king. He directly went to the person or to the place where the issue had to be dealt with. This is exactly what we are to learn from this - to go ahead and face the person or the problem that caused the threat rather than going around asking others what could be done about the problem. The very reason Daniel was able to make such a bold stance was the faith that he had in the Lord. Daniel strongly believed that the Lord's presence will go with him. Faith can lead us to face situations and people whom our human capabilities may fail to.
Daniel requested more time.
As Daniel was being led by the Lord, he was so assured of the Lord's help in this time of struggle and threat. With this assurance in his life, he requests the king to give him more time to deal with it. He requested more time to tell the king about the dream and its meaning. I am trying to imagine what would have been going on in Daniel's mind. What sort of plan did he have? Or did he even have a plan at all for this 'extra time?' I guess he did not have one. Daniel did not have any pre-planned agenda or prepared access to information. But all that he had in his mind at this time was the Lord's help. He knew he can ask the Lord. He knew the Lord will deal with this. He was assured that the Lord was bigger than the problem around him. And he knew that even if anyone else in this world doesn't know the dream that the king saw was transparent to the Lord. Do we remember what the Bible says? "The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; He guides it wherever He pleases" (Proverbs 21: 01). This is exactly what Daniel also knew from his God-given wisdom. He knew that the answer was with the Lord. Today, even if the situations may push us to voice out or find solutions immediately, we should remember that the Lord has the answers and we can be still and know that Lord is our God (Psalm 46: 10).
Daniel shared the burden with his praying friends.
It was such a graceful and diligent gesture by Daniel that on return after requesting more time from the king, the first thing that he did was to ask his friends to pray with him. The Book of Daniel says, "Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them His mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon" (02: 17, 18). This is where we find a demonstration of Daniel's hope in prayer. It would have been better for Daniel to go alone, pray, find the answer, tell the king about it and keep himself away from the threat. But Daniel did something very different. He let his faithful friends in the Lord know about what he had asked from the king and asked all of them to pray; pray in one thought. And that was a gesture of great example. Instead of panicking and going around asking for help, Daniel asked his friends to pray with him and plead with the Lord to show His mercy upon them by revealing the secret to them so that all of them will escape the execution. "That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven" (02: 19).
Daniel praised the God of heaven.
At the end of it all, Daniel did not forget to do that. He remembered to praise and thank the Lord. The answer from the Lord, and the feeling of joy that he had escaped execution, did not make Daniel forget the Lord. Chapter 02, verses 20-23, reminds us of the praise that Daniel sang. Daniel honoured God even in the smallest and tiniest things in his life and the Lord answered Daniel. When Daniel went to the king and reported exactly what he had seen and the meaning of it, the Bible says, "Then King Nebuchadnezzar threw himself down before Daniel and worshipped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before him. The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret” (02: 46, 47). God honoured Daniel in the presence of the king. It did not stop with that. "Then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men. At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court" (02: 48, 49).
Today, is there something bothering you so much? Is there anything that you are clueless about a problem that has come in your life and you need to find a way out? Is there something hidden from you which is causing havoc in your life? Ask the Lord! He will reveal to you and will help you overcome this struggle through that. What is impossible with humans is possible with God!
May the blessings of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be with us, as we continue to seek the Lord in our lives.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
"My Saviour My God 🎶"
by Aaron Shust
