Spirituality Column #730

November 10, 2020

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

‘I Want To Know What It Means’

By Bob Walters

"I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means." King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 2:3

"...there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries." Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 2:28

Anybody have anything troubling them these days that seems to elude prayerful peace and understanding?

I know … we are all trying – trying to pray our way to peace, to understanding, and to find a Christ-like and God-pleasing proper response and resolution to all that is happening around us.  And to keep the water as clear as possible, I am not going to be specific here about worldly, contemporary, and monumental issues that may very well change the landscape of our civic lives.

Anything I say can and will be held against me … by somebody.

That’s not out of fear, but purpose.  Political views tend to obscure Bible focus.

So, I’m curious if I’m the only one who seems to be on the inbound “Book of Daniel” hotline.  Daniel has been our sermon series at church the past few weeks.  Facebook seems lit up with Daniel posts relating to faith, leadership, and civic governance.  Random articles, Christian media references, private messages, and even a couple of texts have mentioned the Old Testament book.  My hunch is that it’s a God-wink, not just some cosmic push to teach me how to spell “Nebuchadnezzar” properly.

My mission at this moment is not to tell you about Daniel but to invite / urge you to go read about Daniel – in the Bible – and here’s why.  Spending some time in Daniel, especially chapters 2, 3, 6, and 7, may well serve to unlock your intellect to allow the Holy Spirit into your prayers, thoughts, and discernment in an especially relevant way.    

I am not a big believer that Old Testament prophecy has value beyond predicting the coming of Jesus, the fulfillment of Israel, the completion of God’s covenant, and the perfection of God’s promises.  I am, though, a stout devotee of and have no reservations about the infinite, eternal truth of the Old Testament as it pertains to the creativity and character of God, the glories and flaws (mainly flaws) of man, and Satan’s abiding threat.  I honestly don’t have any notion that it tells us who wins elections.

That said, I have a foot in each Babylonian camp regarding our U.S. presidential election.   Like Nebuchadnezzer, “I want to know what it means.” Like Daniel, I know “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.”

So far my favorite Christian “take” was this Facebook post, “If you end up with a Nebuchadnezzer as president, be a Daniel.” That was Karley Campbell, who late last week composed a wistful homily on Daniel and his friends condemned to the fire:

“… Three times a day he knelt there in prayer, thanking and praising God,” she wrote. “Their leader didn’t follow God.  Their faith and the culture they were placed in collided [but] … They were steadfast, grounded.  They were strong and determined to follow the Lord obediently regardless of the outcome!”  It was a great post. Look for it.

Let Daniel’s faith stir thoughts and prayerful discernment for today.  I did. It tuned me to “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14), and that really helped.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) urges all to keep their swords of the spirit sharp.