I’ve had dreams before that I didn’t understand, but King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream troubled him so much that he couldn’t sleep. So he asked for those who interpreted dreams to tell him what his dream was and what it meant. Well, of course, none of them could do that. They wanted him to tell them what his dream was so they could interpret it.
But, if no one could interpret his dream, he was going to have all the wise men put to death. That included Daniel and his friends. So, Daniel urged the king to give him some time to consider it. The king complied and Daniel and his friends prayed. Daniel had never interpreted dreams before, so he had no experience in this, but he knew that God could interpret dreams. So he went to his buddies and together they began to pray. God was their only hope. There was a lot riding on this interpretation – their lives!
What gave Daniel the courage to make such a bold request of the king? Daniel’s hope was not in himself. That would have been just a shot in the wind. He had no skill in this area, but he did have hope in his God. The hopes of placing your hopes in false religions is useless. But hope in the one true God who is above and in all things, is the only sure way to secure a good ending. Either God answers the prayer the way they ask him to or if God chooses to handle it in his will, they still win because they will be with God in heaven. God is always the right choice because he will always come through for us.
The battle was won when Daniel and his friends prayed. Regardless of the outcome on earth, in the eternal, it was won. We often aren’t patient enough to wait on God’s answer, but Daniel knew that God would give him the best answer if would wait for it. Don’t do it yourself. Trust in God’s wisdom to know the way to handle our trials.
A few things to keep in mind:
*Embrace your uselessness (we don’t need what we can do, we need what God can do.) *Grow your relationship with God through prayer, repentance, obedience, and learning *Get a tribe of people aligned with God *Refuse to let your current condition determine your end destination *Culture is the result of what you create or what you tolerate *Remember: God is in control of who is in control
Daniel was put in an uncomfortable position to test his alignment with God. Have you ever been put in a situation where you had a situation where the task before you was more than you felt able to deal with on your own? When you feel that God has put a task on you that you aren’t prepared for, don’t run scared. Pray to God about it. If he puts a task on your heart, he will provide what you need to bring Him glory. It may be more than you can do on your own, but God can do all things. Lean on Him and see where it takes you.
Don’t worry about what you are called to do. It’s wasted energy. When God wants you to move, he’ll close one door and open another. Pray, pray, pray and then listen, listen, listen.
You’ve got to trust that the Father knows what he is doing. I’ve had so many things God’s put in front of me that I had no idea how I was going to be able to do what I was being asked to do. But there have been people in my life every step of the way that have helped me. I know that God has provided and I am so blessed.
Visit our website at milanchurch.org to listen to Jon Porter’s sermons and learn more about our church. Come see us next Sunday. We’ve got a seat with your name on it!
In Faith,
Pam
Where God Leads 