ALWAYS PRAY WHEN YOU ARE IN A TIGHT PLACE IN LIFE

SCRIPTURE:

“Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 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.  21 He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.  He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.  22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness,  and light dwells with him.  23 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.” (Daniel 2:19—23)

OBSERVATION:

            King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him because he had no idea what it meant.  He called for astrologers to give him the interpretation of his dream.  He also gave them the consequences if they failed to provide the interpretation of the dream.  Nebuchadnezzar threatens to kill all of them if they fail to produce the interpretation of the dream. 

            This baffled and frightened the astrologers. The king did not tell the astrologers what the dream was but wanted the astrologers to tell him what a dream is was and what it meant.  This is an impossible task that no living person can do. NO ONE CAN READ ANYONE’S DREAM and what it means without telling them. 

            Daniel and his friends were included among the astrologers and wise men of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom.  They, too, will be put to death.  However, Daniel, when he heard of this, gathered his friends and URGED THEM TO PLEAD FOR MERCY WITH THE GOD OF HEAVEN CONCERNING THE MYSTERY.

            My takeaway from Daniel’s response was that no matter how wise and knowledgeable we are, there are many things in life that we do not understand.  We often lean on our own understanding and our own wisdom.  It was a challenge for the astronomers to do the impossible task of revealing what was on the king’s mind without him sharing what the dream was.

            But Daniel’s first action and response to the threat of the king was to SEEK GOD FOR MERCY.  Prayer and seeking God is always the key to solving the unsolvable.  Prayer brings God to find a solution to the things that are beyond our own knowledge.  Prayer is the weapon and the key to solving mysteries. 

            Daniel urged his friends to PLEAD FOR MERCY from the God of heaven, and He answered their prayers during the night.  Whatever we are facing that seems impossible, God makes it possible for us to understand and to know that nothing is impossible. God reveals mysteries.  God hears my cry for mercy.  God answers prayers.  No circumstances are too great that my God cannot handle.  When I am stuck, God is able to deliver and guide me to safety.

            No life-threatening situation will ever keep God from rescuing me. I must learn to trust God to reveal deep and hidden things because he knows what lies in the darkness.  God will give me wisdom and knowledge to discern situations and circumstances.   I am encouraged and reaffirmed and echoed in my spirit the prayer of thanksgiving Daniel offered, 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.”

APPLICATION:

            I am grateful and know that whenever I am in the dark, my God is with me daily, guiding and leading me into whatever situations I am in.  I will seek God first and ask for his mercy whenever I face situations that seem beyond me.  I want to remind myself that God answers and responds to prayer.  Sometimes I lean too much on my own understanding and it does not help.  I will make it a daily practice to learn and trust the unseeing God who sees me, reveals mysteries, and gives guidance. 

PRAYER:

            Father, I thank you that you always know what I need and how to deliver me from situations that I am in.  Thank you for watching over me and giving me the wisdom necessary to understand the difficult situations that I face.  I look to you daily for your mercy and wisdom.  I thank you for hearing my prayers and answering them as well.  Thank you for your constant care and love. Amen!