In this reflection, I use the story of Daniel as we continue with our series, “It’s your moment.” Check out the one I shared previously in the series by clicking here.
Read first Daniel 2:20-23, which I will use as the scriptural foundation for our reflection,
During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. 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.” From the New International Bible version.
In case you’ve not read the book of Daniel, I’m encouraging you to do so. It’s a very fascinating story that demonstrates God’s power over kings and changing kingdoms.
We won’t go into all the content of the book, but we will primarily focus on the above piece of Scripture for the sake of this reflection.
The Context
Let me begin by sharing a little bit about the context from which the story comes.
Daniel was one of the young men that king Nebuchadnezzar deported to Babylon to serve him after invading Jerusalem around 597 BC.
Read more about it in chapter 1 to see how Daniel and his three friends were among those the king would deport to Babylon.
After losing connection with his family, country, friends, and when Daniel might have thought that his life was gaining a little bit of stability, but things were just about to change.
And, they did when the king’s officers come to arrest Daniel, and eventually for death penalty.
Daniel inquires of why the king decide to execute all the wise men in the nation, and asks if the king can give him some time to resolve the matter.
The king was very upset for the reason that none of his closest advisors (wise men) were not able to tell him his dream and then give him its interpretation. That led him to the decision about executing all the wise men, including Daniel, and his three friends.
After sometime of prayer, God revealed to Daniel in a dream what the king had dreamed and what the interpretation of the dream was.
The Scripture above is part of the prayer Daniel said, and which describes three truths, we could use to help us navigate changing seasons in life.
God Changes Times and Seasons
I will not go into more depth to discuss the entire dream. But, Daniel 2, starting with verse 24 through the end of the chapter, will tell you all about the dream and its interpretation as God reveals it to Daniel.
There are two things here. First, humans have built the statue. And, the different materials used (gold, iron, silver, etc.) represent the different kingdoms humans build.
Next is the rock, and according to the dream, which destroyed the entire statue, wasn’t made or cut by humans.
While all the other kingdoms come and go, the rock will stay and even fill the whole earth. This rock represents the Kingdom of God. Jesus came to preach and teach about God’s Kingdom.
God has power over all human kingdoms. He has all the power to change times and seasons.
[bctt tweet=”God has power to change times and seasons because He is the creator of it all. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
Read Genesis 1 and 2 to learn more about that. God created the sun, the moon, and the stars. The sun, moon, and starts help us, humans, define days, weeks, years, and seasons.
We hope in God because God has the ability and power to change times and circumstances. He did it for Daniel, and can do the same for you and I too.
God Gives Wisdom and Knowledge
The other truth, from the book of Daniel, is that God gives us wisdom and knowledge.
Even when we do not make sense of seasons, times, and circumstances, God can still help us granting us wisdom and understanding to navigate all these changes.
[bctt tweet=”Remember that God is the creator of time. God is also the one who fills in the void. The same way He did it in the beginning of everything (Genesis 1 and 2), God will do the same for you, filling in the gaps. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
God grants us wisdom and understanding when you acknowledge Him as the King of kings. God’s wisdom and understanding help us go through changing seasons, and times.
You may have heard about this verse before: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” That’s from Proverbs 1:7.
So, Daniel came from the state of being in a very personal relationship with God. He came from a place of loving God with everything he was all about.
God Reveals Deep and Hidden Things
Here’s a Scripture I want you to read,
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7. NIV.
There you see that God can reveal God’s plans (or secrets – from other Bible translations) to God’s servants.
Daniel wasn’t only a servant of God. God, to him, represented everything. God wasn’t just a priority, but the One in charge of all kings, kingdoms, life, time, seasons, and the universe.
He came from a place of full surrender, and knew that God is all-knowing in addition to being the King of all kings.
Therefore, he wanted time to spend with God and wait for God to do what no humans can do: the revelation of the king’s dream and its interpretation.
Just as God revealed to Daniel the king’s dream, God can also show us the right path to take and guide our steps whenever we find ourselves in unfamiliar territories.
In Conclusion
Daniel was very grateful for the fact that God had answered his prayers. His story teaches us that God is the only one who can change times and seasons. God grants us wisdom and understanding to navigate every single change we go through in life. Lastly, we learn that God reveals us the way to go even when we have no idea of what’s next in life.
