To Live is Christ — trusting God for everything

A young Hebrew slave under the authority of Nebuchadnezzar the king was part of a group called “wise men.” Most of them were magicians, astrologers and sorcerers, but when the king had a dream and refused to reveal its content, none of these other men could interpret it. The king was furious and decreed that all the “wise men” must die.

When Daniel found out why the wise men were sentenced so harshly, he asked the king to give him time; he would interpret the dream. Daniel told his friends and together they sought “mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret” so they would not perish. Then God revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel in a “night vision.” In response, Daniel said,

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s demand. (Daniel 2:20–23)

I sit here trying to imagine myself in Daniel’s place. This is no small challenge. What if the leader of my country said he had a dream and if I could not tell him the content of the dream AND its meaning, he would chop off my head? What would I do?

Daniel knew there was only one thing to do. God is all wise and all powerful. He knows all things, even the dreams of pagan kings. He also knows how to reveal those secret things to His people. He did it for Daniel and He could do it for me.

Knowing this and actually relying on God in such a situation is my challenge. For the past couple of days, I’m thinking about how much my obedience falls short of my understanding. I know what God wants; doing it is the rub. My biggest problem is trying to overcome obstacles without asking God to give me what I need.

The Gospel message reveals that salvation from sin is by grace. That means that God freely gives eternal life to those who believe in Jesus Christ. We cannot earn or deserve the blessing of God, but He gives it because of what Christ has done for us. This grace is required for salvation from all aspects of sin. Grace offers forgiveness from sin’s penalty and power over sin’s pull on my life. Grace can free me from outer temptations and those within. Eventually, grace will take me from sin’s presence into the eternal abiding place of God. In the meantime, I struggle at times to choose grace and cooperate with the Holy Spirit, even though I know that I cannot save myself.

Daniel could not save himself either. Death was certain, not because of his own sin but because an angry king wanted what he wanted. Yet Daniel knew that the God of heaven was more powerful than Nebuchadnezzar. This king was in power by God’s grace and God could remove him from power if He so desired. Who better to run to under this threat than the One who ruled the king? Who better to trust than the One who gives wisdom and reveals deep and secret things?

My days are filled with decisions as well as with battles against sin. Most choices do not involve life-threatening situations, but even so, who better to run to for mercy than the God of heaven? Large problems or small, He can reveal any secrets I need to know, and give me wisdom to make the right choices. His grace is sufficient. For that, I bless His name.