In the Earthly Courts of Power

Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

to whom belong wisdom and might.”

Daniel 2: 20

 

Daniel is young but very wise. These qualities do not always converge, but in this instance, God has settled what is sometimes called “a wisdom beyond his years” upon the youthful Jewish Babylonian captive. He is going to volunteer to go before the most powerful man on earth and tell him the meaning of an unsettling dream. This is coming about after all of the wise men and the sorcerers that the king regularly employs have failed in this task and have now been sentenced to death because of their failure. As we can see, this is not a palace where grace and forgiveness lead to second chances. So, stepping up and sticking his neck out, as Daniel is about to do, may not be the safest thing that he could consider. Yet, there are times in life when each of us needs to trust in our Lord, lean on His wisdom and strength, and step out and step up to take on the challenges that are placed before us.

 

This specific challenge is huge, and Daniel takes it on with a humble heart and a mind that is submitted to the Lord. This is the attitude that he expresses in this poetic prayer of thanks and praise to the Lord that he speaks forth just before he goes to the king’s appointed executioner and asks him to delay the carnage for Daniel can interpret the king’s dream. Nothing that Daniel says in this prayer suggests that he is relying upon his own knowledge, wisdom, courage, or skill. He points toward the source of all of the ability that he possesses and clearly indicates that every good thing that he holds and all that is worthwhile that comes out of him comes directly from the one true God. The wisdom that was essential to interpret the king’s dream and to know how to approach this powerful and ego-driven man was something that God owned and that He has granted to Daniel as a gift. The Lord also provided the courage and the fortitude that were required to risk his life in speaking up.

 

The only thing that Daniel brought to this situation that came from within himself was his submission to God and his desire to know his Lord deeply and intimately while following His righteous will in all matters. This is a great story from the ancient texts in the Bible, but I don’t think that it is here for us today because it makes for good adventure reading. Daniel was an exceptional person, and he lived in remarkable times. Yet, what he shows us about living in the world as a person who desires to serve the true King, Jesus the Christ, is really a depiction of the nature of dwelling in God’s new kingdom come to earth and of following the will of our Lord throughout the days that we have been granted as a gift from God. During those days we all encounter the kings of this earth and can engage with their flawed understandings of truth and of the nature and the character of God. Christ provides us with opportunities to submit our wills to Him and to enter into His wisdom as we speak out to proclaim Christ’s gospel of love and righteousness in the various courts of worldly power where we travel each day. Daniel’s prayer of submission and obedience can be our own framework, and his faithful response can be ours as well.

 

Daniel’s Prayer

Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever,

For wisdom and power belong to Him.

Daniel 2: 20

 

We would all like to get up in the morning and be able to anticipate the very best from our day.  In that world there would never be bills to pay, broken water pipes, legal issues, harsh work situations, conflicts, or loss. Yet, not considering those events as not only possible but, based upon experience, as likely is naive at best and is probably foolishness. These are the sorts of things that come to all people regardless of state or status in life. However, the way that each of us responds to them tells a great deal about the current state of our relationship with God.

 

Daniel’s prayerful words of praise for God, although they were expressed in a very stressful moment, seem to be the outpouring of his continual attitude toward God and of his regular recognition of who God is, what He means in Daniel’s life, and of why that matters above everything else. In these few words there is recognition of the fact that the Lord is never absent, is always involved with us, and sees the entire picture of our lives. There is also understanding of the fact that God’s involvement in our lives is always directed toward our own good. Thus, we need to keep thoughts of praise for Him on our hearts, in our minds, and on our lips continually. Daniel also recognizes that his source of truth and solid perspective on all that life will bring his way come solely from the Lord, and he expresses his grasp of the fact that there is no where else to go for the strength that he needed to handle it all.

 

It is a simple and a too painfully proven fact that on my own I do not handle stressful situations and the people that seem to cause them very well. I become fearful, thus angry. Then, I lash out at others or become defensive; thus, I portray my God poorly, and I deny Him the opportunity to again demonstrate the truth of His total, loving involvement in every aspect of life. The answer to this continual challenge is to take Daniel’s approach literally to heart. I need to prepare for the absolute probability that I will need to deal with hard situations today by staying close to my Lord at all times, by living life in a state of on-going conversation with Him, and by regularly reading the truths of His Word and by listening to His Spirit as He speaks those truths to my heart. Lord, let Daniel’s prayer be the song of my heart through every moment of this day.