When you’re at the end of your rope where do you go? Hopefully, you have ‘go-to’ friends like Daniel did. When Daniel met with his friends it was not to discuss options or to whine, hold a pity party or plan their escape. For many of us, that’s what we would have done.
We are told they met to pray and wait on God.
Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Daniel 2:17-18
Some of us think that our desperately needed answer to our dilemma is out there somewhere on YouTube, a counselor, a seminar, a test tube or someone. God can use all that, but at the end of the day, He ultimately provides the answers we need.
Prayer is our most effective source of strength and direction
For far too many, prayers are our last resort. I might look for a good book that has the answer to my problem or make a list of pros and cons and depend on my own independent decision-making abilities. Being honest, a fair question to ask ourselves is, ‘Why don’t I pray first?’ Maybe it’s because we don’t believe that God is going to answer or we don’t want to wait for an answer. Prayer involves waiting, doesn’t it?
The Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. Isaiah 30:18
I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:1-2
Daniel and his friends waited on God and got their answer. The answer would save their lives. Daniel could have immediately put on his running shoes and made a beeline to the king when he got the answer. He didn’t. He thanked God for his answer.
It’s so easy to pull out our list of the things we want God to do for us that we can lose sight of who God is. Some of us unknowingly reduce God to being unable to do what we cannot do on our own.
When Daniel got the answer to the King’s dream and it was only natural that praise would fall on Daniel. You’re the man. He knew that, so he intentionally makes the point of saying to the King, ‘Don’t give me any credit, I’m nothing special, the spotlight should be on God, not me!’ Don’t you just love that?
When we see a beautiful painting that takes our breath away, we don’t say, ‘We want to see the brush used for the painting. We ask who the painter is? God is. He is the artist! When our heart’s desire is to make Him known, we point others to him, not ourselves. Daniel said, ‘Don’t give me any glory, I’m just the brush.’
As a result of the interpretation of the King’s dream, Nebuchadnezzar praises the God of Daniel and, ‘Makes Daniel ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. God honors those who honor him.
Daniel tells the king, ‘There’s just one more thing King, I’ve got some close friends who helped make it possible. They waited on God with me. They contributed to my success! Would you please honor them as well?’ Wow, how refreshing, good leaders don’t ever forget to recognize the people that contributed to their success.
At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon.
With God on your side, there’s always a way out from between a rock and hard place. With God in your life, he’ll provide light at the end of the tunnel! With God on the throne of your life there will always be enough rope to hang onto, so don’t give up on Him because He will never give up on you!
