God Is In Control
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· 35 viewsBecause God is in control, we can trust Him to reveal His purpose and plan...
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God Is In Control
God Is In Control
Text
14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.
16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
21 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.
22 He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
23 “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.”
Intro
Contemplating the Topic
In her devotional “Who’s In Charge Here?” Angela Watson talked about the importance of teachers allowing for God’s sovereignty in the classroom.
She wrote: “Have you ever purposefully turned your classroom over to the Lord? Sure, you’ve prayed to Him intermittently throughout the day (mostly when you felt ready to strangle one of the kids!). You’ve probably encountered situations in which you were powerless and sighed, ‘Oh, well, it’s in God’s hands now. Nothing else I can do.’ It is certainly convenient (and scriptural) to turn problems over to God when we are in the thick of them. But what if we take our faith to the next level and give a situation over to God before it even happens?”
While Watson suggested teachers become proactive in turning their situations over to God before problems develop, the fact is God is already in control. We just need to recognize His sovereignty, celebrate it, and work in harmony with Him.
We are natural control freaks. And that is most often motivated by fear of what will happen when we are NOT in control. But the fact is, God is and will always be in full control of it all. And we relieve much stress by learning to live with the acceptance of Him in complete control.
Most often, things are muddled up once WE begin to try to take control OURSELVES. So we trust God!
Body
Nebuchadnezzar Had a Dream
The Man Called Nebuchadnezzar
Rose in fame as a field officer at war.
Became King, began building. And built, and built, and built.
A city with five walls, no less.
The Hanging Gardens, built to remind his wife of her homeland, are considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
He was a man who was trying to build wonders with his own hands (Babylon - Babel).
Nebuchadnezzar trusted in his wisdom and abilities to take him where he wanted to go...
His Wise Men Could Not Interpret His Dream
I want you to imagine for a minute this powerful, mighty kingdom of Babylon that we’ve talked about. They were overtaking other kingdoms, growing and growing.
And all of a sudden… the climate in the palace of Babylon suddenly shifted when King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that mystified and troubled him.
He was so troubled that sleep departed from him and he could find no relief. The biblical text mentions he “dreamed dreams,” suggesting more than one dream. But the use of the plural in this case seems to indicate a recurrence of the same dream.
He could not even remember the essence of this dream. He could only feel it was somehow significant and that he needed to know its meaning.
So, Nebuchadnezzar called for his wise men to appear before him so that he could inquire of them as to the dream and its significance. And they were unable to determine the dream or its meaning despite multiple and combined efforts.
The king expected his wise men to both reconstruct the dream as well as provide its meaning. Losing his patience with them and their inability to product the dream and its interpretation, the king threatened their lives and their very houses, threatening the lives of everyone in their households, as well.
He Sought to Kill His Wise Men
The king even gave the wise men an offer they couldn’t refuse: great gifts, rewards, and honor if they interpreted the dream, or death and desolated houses if they failed to interpret.
They then complained to the king that there was no king or ruler who required such an impossible feat of his wise men. The king was being unreasonable. Still, the king became very angry and ordered the destruction of all the wise men of Babylon, which would reach even to Daniel and his Hebrew companions (Daniel 2:12-13).
The Wisdom of Man Always Falls Short
The problem for Nebuchadnezzar was that he put his trust in man’s wisdom.
It’s human nature to feel our knowledge is perfect and invincible, when the reality is that human knowledge and wisdom alone are always insufficient. For a person to feel positive, ambitious, and self-confident is not a bad thing; it’s just simply inadequate when it’s separate from true godliness, divine purpose, and confidence that’s anchored in Jesus!
The Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things THROUGH CHRIST!
And when we get to talking about man’s wisdom, here’s another interesting verse:
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
We have to learn to depend on the one who has PERFECT knowledge and PERFECT wisdom!
Daniel Asked the King for Time to Determine the Interpretation
He Shared the Dilemma with His Friends
Daniel shared the news about the dream issue with his Hebrew friends. Their lives were in danger just as much as the wise men who were unable to provide what the king had demanded.
And we find Daniel again showing that he had an excellent spirit about him.
When confronted by Arioch, apparently the chief executor for the king, Daniel asked him, “Why is the decree so hasty from the king?” (Daniel 2:15). Daniel was calm and reasoned in his response to the man who held his fate in his hands.
Arioch explained the situation to Daniel, and Daniel sought an opportunity to explain the dreams to the king. The only thing he requested of the king was time that he could appropriately inquire of the one who could reveal the dream and its meaning to him.
Arioch granted his request, and Daniel went to Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, and enlisted them to join him in a time of seeking God for an answer to interpret the dreams. So they began to pray...
They Sought the Lord for Mercy
Together, the four Hebrews began to pray and intercede before God that He would reveal to them the secret of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, which also would spare their lives.
Now, some believe that they prayed together and then retired for the night. And others are convinced that they continued interceding until God gave a “night vision” to Daniel.
But no matter which happened, the important thing is that God came through and provided the spiritual insight that they sought. God had mercy upon them, and for their sake - and for the sake of unveiling prophecy - He revealed the dream and its interpretation to Daniel.
There Is Power in the Prayers of Believers
And so if there’s something that this text is speaking to us right now that is very clear, it’s that there is power in united prayer!
When the people of God join together with faith to present their petitions to the Almighty, they can be confident He is going to answer and He is going to provide in His own way and according to His eternal purpose!
Corporate prayer is POWERFUL prayer!
For example, I want you to consider Acts 4:31-33.
It’s time to strap your seatbelt on for a second...
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
In these verses, we can see several definite results from the united prayers of the people of God:
1 - The place was shaken where they were assembled.
2 - They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and boldly spoke the Word of God.
3 - They were all unified (one heart and one soul).
4 - The apostles gave powerful witness to the Resurrection.
5 - Great grace was upon them all.
Hear me today when I say that GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL! You say, “Well, Coronavirus-” NO! He’s still in control in Coronavirus! He’s still going to have a church in Coronavirus! He’s still going to have a worshiping church in Coronavirus!
And it is His desire that there be a shaking when we are assembled!
God Revealed the Dream’s Interpretation to Daniel
Daniel Praised God for Answering His Prayer
So, God revealed the secret of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel “in a night vision.”
19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Their prayers to God had worked and brought to light the answer to the king’s dream.
Daniel began worshipping God for revealing the secret to them, and his worship is recorded within four verses of this text.
20 Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
21 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.
22 He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
23 “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 knew that it is God who sets kings up and takes kings down and that it’s God who gives wisdom and understanding! He praised God and celebrated the one who alone can reveal secrets covered in darkness - because He’s the LIGHT! And He illuminates every hidden thing of darkness.
God Will Answer Our Prayers
We should never be timid or uncertain regarding the prayers that we pray… Because GOD ANSWERS PRAYER!
Jesus assured His disciples:
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Jesus also promised if we would ask in His name, He would provide:
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Whatever our needs may be, it’s always appropriate to present our prayers to the one who can provide the needed help and answers.
There is nothing beyond His reach and no situation about which He doesn’t care! he knows the path we’re on, and He cares about us as individuals.
Sometimes we’re timid about our prayers. But we are allowed to approach His throne with boldness! Why? Because how we pray reveals our faith in Him responding!
Daniel Told Nebuchadnezzar the Interpretation
The King Was Amazed and Worshipped Daniel
Daniel went to Arioch and informed him that God had revealed the dream to him and requested Arioch refrain from destroying the wise men of Babylon.
It’s refreshing to see that Daniel’s help was not personal - not seeking and preservation of only his life and the lives of his three Hebrew friends - he was also reaching to preserve the lives of all the wise men of Babylon, most of whom were pagans.
And something important is… it wasn’t about Daniel being seen and known for interpreting a dream! It was about others, and the greater work God wanted to do through him. (Schools of healing aren’t in line with the Holy Ghost)
So Daniel sought an audience with the king so that he could reveal the interpretation to him. Arioch quickly took Daniel before the king and announced to Nebuchadnezzar that “a man of the captives of Judah” would “make known unto the king the interpretation” (Daniel 2:25).
And what Daniel brought to him was not just an interpretation, but a celebration of God! Because in the middle of the conversation, Daniel proclaimed:
28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:
And Daniel was quick to make clear that the revelation had nothing to do with his personal wisdom, “but for their sakes we have make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart” (Daniel 2:30).
And in response, the king gave misguided worship to Daniel.
The King Declared Daniel’s God to Be Greater Than All Other Gods
Through Daniel, God was able to demonstrate His greatness in the face of a pagan king.
Nebuchadnezzar declared:
47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”
It’s beautiful when God’s people are interested only in declaring His greatness and not in seeking credit and glory for themselves.
Our ultimate purpose on Earth as believers is to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and make known to the world the greatness of our God who came in Jesus Christ for our redemption from sin.
Nebuchadnezzar Promoted Daniel
As a result of the revelation of the dream and its interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar rewarded Daniel handsomely. He made Daniel a great man, gave him many great gifts, and made him a ruler over the entire province of Babylon, as well as being the chief governor over the Babylonian wise men (Daniel 2:48).
Once again, we see the greatness of Daniel’s character and the absence of selfishness: Daniel requested a place for his fellow Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel also placed his friends over the affairs of the province of Babylon while Daniel remained in a palace position.
He didn’t forget his friends!
And so, you have Nebuchadnezzar, who has trusted in his own hands and abilities to grow and advance in life, was forced to rely on someone who trusted only God!
And the people of God moved on up because of a few things:
They maintained full trust in God.
Separated from the world.
They were instant in season. When God was opening up an opportunity, they were stepping into it!
God Is in Control and We Can Trust Him
God is in control!
While He allows Satan for the time being to act as the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), God maintains the ultimate power and control over all things.
And this is revealed for certain within our text today:
21 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.
We can trust the Lord! We may not understand all His ways because we are human and He alone is divine, and His ways are so far above our ways, but we can trust Him!!!
Conclusion
God, in His ultimate plan and purpose for this world, desires to use His people to reveal His identity and greatness!
Events in this life are not random or without ultimate meaning. While God does not cause all things to happen and does not even like all that happens, still He is able to work all things to bring about His ultimate plan and glory. His plans and purposes are good and we can trust His ways in all things!
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
The church is the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8) and His royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). His people are a chosen generation who are called to magnify the praises of the one “who hath called you out of the darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
We can rest in the assurance that God is in complete control, and we can place our absolute trust and confidence in His ways!