Daniel 2:1-23 – The Dream

Read Daniel 2:1-23

Have you ever had a dream haunt you all day as if it was real, yet you have no idea what it means? That must be a little of what King Nebuchadnezzar was experiencing. He seems a bit frantic in front of his own wise men. Yet, they are not forthcoming with any sort of explanation for the king’s dilemma. Why? Because they don’t have any such power.

It seems the king has eyes to see through their deception and won’t allow them to take advantage of him anymore. The king stated, in effect, that if they aren’t smart enough to know the content of his dream they don’t deserve to live. Of course, the astrologers were outraged at the request stating, “No one on earth can tell the king his dream!” They were powerless because their wisdom was not from God.

Without God’s power, they were nothing. The wise men of Babylon believed in their own gods, but those gods had no power. Such belief did not change the way these men lived their lives. They had no relationship with their gods. What a hollow existence they must have lived even if they had had the respect of the king up to now.

The question I had was why were Daniel and his friends included in the “hit list?” I suppose it was because they had shown such wisdom (which came from God by the way) during their training. Now they were included in the death sentence. However, they weren’t the ones to have spurned the king’s anger. They hadn’t even had a chance!

When Daniel heard the news and realized his life may soon come to an end, he took action. He stepped out in faith and asked for a face to face with King Nebuchadnezzar to plead for more time to bring the answer. Somehow, Daniel’s request was granted. It was God.

Daniel knew the only way he and his friends were going to walk away from this alive was with God’s help. He shared the situation with his friends and urged them to pray. That’s exactly the go-to response we should have when we face an unsurmountable obstacle in our own lives. Pray, and pray hard.

God’s response was perfectly timed, and “that night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision.” God always answers our prayers, just not always that fast!  Our answers may not be what we expect or even ask for, but in this case, God told Daniel exactly what he needed to know.

What I love most about this passage is Daniel’s response to his answered prayer. Such an outpouring of praise to God. When is the last time you gushed like that to thank God for answering your prayer? I realize Daniel’s life was on the line here, and our prayers pale in comparison. Yet our gratitude should know no bounds.

Take some time today to give God the praise he deserves for all the blessings in your life. Don’t forget to go to him with any and all prayer requests. He wants to hear from you.

Let’s pray. Father God, I praise your name forever and ever. Your wisdom and mighty works continue to amaze me. Forgive me when I neglect you or fail to come to you with my problems. I sometimes feel like a broken record. Help me to grow deeper in my faith and connection to you. Your power is what sustains me each day. I am beyond grateful that I have access to such a gift. Guide my steps each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.