Have you ever been in a hurry to do something and it seems you just can’t do it quickly enough? If it’s something you’re not used to doing, you have to give it more time and think about it, every step of the process. But if you do it so often that it becomes habit, you’re much better prepared.
Daniel asks the king for time so that he might interpret the dream for him. He didn’t research the situation or discuss with his friends what the dream was. The first thing he did was to go back and speak to his friends asking them to plead for mercy from God concerning the mystery of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Later, that night, a vision was revealed to Daniel concerning the dream.
Daniel told the king, that no wise man, magician, diviner or enchanter could interpret the dream. Only the God of heaven could have revealed the dream, and he went on to explain the dream and what it meant.
You see, it was of the utmost importance to be quick about the answer as the lives of all the wise men, including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, depended on the explanation of the dream. But the king wouldn’t even tell them what the dream was. So not only did they need to know what the dream meant, but they had to describe the dream. This is why Daniel’s habit of turning to God in prayer often was of great benefit. Out of habit, it was the first thing he did. He knows that prayer shifts our perspective when done authentically. A quote from the movie Shadowlands says it well, “I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.”
It’s important to note, that Daniel didn’t take credit for figuring out the dream and it’s meaning. He said that the God of heaven had revealed it to him. Before Daniel even went to share this news to the king, he praised God for revealing the answer to him. He never doubted that what was revealed to him was the truth. He knew that it came from God and God cannot deceive.
So, what does all of this mean to us? I think it shows that we can only truly know God if we develop a relationship with him. We can’t trust solely on anyone else to teach us about God. We need to go to him ourselves in prayer and ask that he reveal himself to us.
Our pastor, Jon’s, advice is to try this:
*Pray first. We need our view and attitude shifted to align with God’s *Pray seeking God’s will, not your agenda or take. See Luke 11:2 *Surround yourself with people you can plead to God with *Avoid those who always have the answer, lack humility, lord over you *Give praise before you get a response
Now that you know, go to God in prayer. It’s the best way to start your day!
In Faith,
Pam
Where God Leads 