This weeks text is a wonderful psalm of praise from the lips of Daniel. When we think about psalms we usually think about looking to the book of psalms but perhaps there is no more beautiful words offered in Scripture then the ones that follow.
Daniel 2:20-23
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
Daniel was a powerful man of God who served the Lord faithfully from his youth. While others might have given up their faith and the principles, Daniel remained strong. His story starts when he was a young man in his late teens as he and his friends are exiled along with thousands of others when King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon besieged Jerusalem. Daniel was one of the "lucky ones" for he was chosen among others from the Jewish nobles to be groomed to serve in the kings palace. Daniel 1:4 speaks of the qualities that Nebuchadnezzar was looking for. He was seeking "...young men in whom there was no blemish, but good looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand." Indeed, Daniel was that and even more. John Maxwell in his leadership study Bible says that the secret of Daniel is found in his, Character, Competence, Convictions, Courage, Charisma, Commitment, and Compassion. Those are some awesome qualities indeed!
Daniel offers this psalm of praise in response to the revelation that was given to him by God. You see the king was disturbed by a troublesome dream and none of his magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, or the Chaldeans could interpret his dream. But God inabled David to understand the meaning of the dream. Its interesting to note that Daniel praised God even before he talked with the king regarding this matter but Daniel was a young man of great faith and courage. And faith praises even before the blessings are revealed.
His psalm offers to us a great truth, that God is in control of all things even in the face of the greatest evils and the greatest and most evil of kings. Indeed there is nothing hidden or dark to the Lord and there is no power that God cannot overcome. Daniel understood this and his life is an evidence of that fact.
No one would have been surprised if Daniel and his friends would have compromised and left their faith behind. He was a young man. there were no Synagogues and no one to keep them accountable. Besides the leaders of this new land were treating him like royalty. He could be a servant to the king. But the only king Daniel was eager to serve was the Lord God. Daniel held to his faith and became a blessing and a powerful influence for good throughout his life. In the end God would prove himself faithful time and time again.
To Ponder: What are the changes of your life that tempt you to throw up your hands? Are there sources of darkness which you feel cannot be overcome? Please read the book of Daniel. Pray hard and trust the Lord. God is faithful and eager to shine His light into your life. God may even use your greatest challenges as the window to your greatest blessings to others. Remember God is in control over everything.
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