Daniel: Day 4

Chapter 4 of Daniel is about how Nebuchadnezzar came to recognize God as the one true God.

Daniel 4:6-8a - "So I gave order to bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners came in and I related the dream to them, but they could not make its interpretation known to me. But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar according to the name of my gods, and in whom is a spirit of the holy gods..."

This is Nebuchadnezzar talking. And this is not the same dream that Daniel interpreted the first time (in chapter 2). So some amount of time has passed from that first dream until this dream. We don't know how much time, though. And in these verses, Nebuchadnezzar was telling his testimony - how he came to know that God is God - so he is speaking in the past-tense. Because looking back on it, Nebuchadnezzar realizes that he knew back then, even before he believed in God, that there was something different about Daniel. He recognized that Daniel had a relationship with something holy.

I also noticed something else later on in chapter 4 (verse 19, after Nebuchadnezzar told Daniel his dream) - "Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar replied, 'My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!"

I noticed that Daniel had grown to love Nebuchadnezzar - the man who captured the Jews and ruled over one of the greatest kingdoms on Earth.

I believe God had appointed Nebuchadnezzar as Daniel's charge - his mission..his ministry. So, here are my two applications of this:

1) A lot can be said for consistency. Be constant in your pursuit of God. Be constant in your pursuit of wisdom and discernment. Be steady in yearning for what is true and right and just. Because even though God has grace and mercy and He has forgiven us for ALL of our mistakes and sins, the world is not so forgiving. The world will judge you according to the preconception of how they feel you judge them just because your are a Christian. So be constant. You won't always be right, but so long as you maintain your heart to serve and your heart for God, the world will recognize it - even if they don't know what it is that they are recognizing.

2) Love. You cannot serve anyone that you do not love. Love the people in your life the way God loves them. Compassion, sympathy, empathy - these are all synonyms for love. Daniel, even though he knew the king was wrong for his beliefs, still cared for Nebuchadnezzar so much that the true interpretation of the dream alarmed and appalled him. His heart probably sank into his stomach as Nebuchadnezzar told him the dream.

Father, I love You. Thank You for grace and mercy. Father, consistency has big one of the biggest problems I've had in Your and my walk together. I come close to You and then move far away. And then do it again and again. But Lord, I don't want that. I don't want to be that person that doesn't maintain that close contact with You. When I think about the people who have made the biggest impacts on me as a Christian, a servant, and a leader, they are all people who have stayed the course with You. In life, we need to be flexible, but not in our relationship with You. So Father, I ask that You would draw me and anyone reading this close to You. Draw us closer and closer. Light never-ending fires of passion for You and for Your will in our hearts from now on. Be our source of joy, happiness, release, strength, and wisdom. Be our best friend. I love You and praise You, Father. Thank You. In the name of Jesus I pray all things. Amen.