Today is the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That was a significant day for Juliane and I -- if you're curious, read about it on my other blog.
S: Daniel 2:29-35 “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart. In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.”
O: Here we have a text written at the latest at the beginning of the Persian empire, i.e. the silver chest & arms, and yet it predicts the Greek empire, the Roman Empire, fall of the Roman Empire into small divided countries, and the rise of the Church of Jesus Christ which spreads throughout the whole world.
Daniel is also careful not to take any glory for himself, but rather, gave all the credit to God. If God uses you to do a great work, the temptation to take credit is strong, and we have seen believers time and time again throughout history succumb to that temptation. Sometimes they repent and get back on the right track with God, but sometimes God has to bring them down and humble them.
A: We can trust God's Word to be sure. Before the rise of the Greek and Roman empires, someone reading this prophecy might not know exactly what they're referring to, but it is clear after the fact.
We must also follow Daniel's example not to take credit and become proud just because God used us to do a mighty work for Him.
P: Thank You, Father, that Your Word is sure. I commit myself to Your purposes in this earth, but keep me humble and not to become proud if You do great and marvellous things through me. In Jesus' name, amen.
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