The wise guys of Babylon have admitted defeat in telling Nebuchadnezzar what he dreamed. Now the king is really angry—and Daniel and his friends are in the firing line…
Responding to difficulty
Read Daniel 2:14
• How does Daniel respond to this situation?
Daniel buys himself some time—and shows some people skills on the way. Then he gets everyone praying. Notice that prayer and wise action go hand in hand here rather than it being one or the other.
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APPLY
Have a think about how you deal with difficulties in your life.
• Are there times when you pray, but don't think about how to act wisely yourself?
• Are there times when you're so busy thinking about what you can do to resolve the situation that you don't stop and pray?
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Responding to God
Read Daniel 2:19
During the night, God reveals the dream to Daniel.
• How does Daniel respond to being helped by God?
• In verses 20-23:
• What is Daniel saying about God?
• What is Daniel saying to God?
Praising the God of revelation
Daniel speaks of God as the God of “power”, who controls who is king; and as the God of “wisdom”, who reveals hidden things. The focus is more on the second of these, but they go together: the reason God can reveal the future is because He controls the future!
But Daniel is not simply saying this is true of God; he is praising God. “I thank and praise you…” This truth is not simply clear in his head, but also warm in his heart.
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APPLY
• Do you see God as the God of “wisdom and power”, who knows all things?
• Do you praise and thank Him for being that God?
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PRAY THRU
Thank God now for who He is. Bring to Him any tricky situations you are facing at the moment, asking Him to get involved, and to show you how you can act wisely.
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This devotional is taken from Explore—a daily Bible-reading devotional from the good book company which enables you to engage with Scripture and which will encourage, equip and inspire you to live for Christ. Explore features contributions from pastors such as Dr Timothy Keller, Mike McKinley and Tim Chester.
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