God's Ways are Truth and Judgment

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him and wanted to know the interpretation of it.  He called the wise men and astrologers of Babylon to him and demanded they tell him his dream and interpretation.  They confidently said they would tell him the interpretation once he had told them the dream.  Nebuchadnezzar would not budge:  if they were able to understand the meaning of the dream by divination, they would as easily be able to reveal what Nebuchadnezzar dreamed in his own bed.  They balked at this command, claiming the king's command was most unorthodox and unreasonable.  The king accused his wise men as wasting his time and then commanded they all be slain--Daniel and his fellow captives from Israel included.

Daniel and his friends who feared the living God of Israel prayed, and that night God revealed the king's dream and interpretation to Daniel.  After Daniel praised the LORD for this revelation he notified Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, he would make known the dream and interpretation to the king.  Daniel was brought before the king and told him more than the king had required, even Nebuchadnezzar's thoughts that preceded the dream as he lay on his bed.  He explained that through the dream God had revealed future events, that the dream was certain and the interpretation sure.  Daniel 2:46-47 reads, "Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. ⁴⁷ The king answered Daniel, and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret."

One thing I love about this passage is the king was interested to know the future.  Nebuchadnezzar wanted to test his wise men to see if they were actually wise or charlatans.  He desired to demonstrate his power and authority by determining by a difficult challenge and destroying the unworthy.  God had a completely higher aim that transcended all Nebuchadnezzar's thoughts and plans:  to reveal Himself to a king who was ignorant of Him.  In telling the king's dream God revealed Himself to be the God of gods, the LORD of kings.  In chapters that follow God revealed himself as an unrivaled Deliverer when he saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego from the fiery furnace.  God would deprive Nebuchadnezzar of his sanity for 7 years, and at the end of his time Nebuchadnezzar looked to the God of heaven as the One whose ways are truth and judgment, He rules over all nations of the earth and is able to humble the proud.  Nebuchadnezzar desired answers to his questions, glory for himself, to demonstrate his authority, and to find satisfaction in his success--but God answered all these desires with a revelation of Himself.

I wonder:  how often are we like Nebuchadnezzar?  We desire people or God to answer our question or give us insight.  Perhaps our earnest aim is for other people to change their minds about a subject or to consider the facts we want to present.  We can want others to prove themselves to us or have the opportunity to prove ourselves to them.  What we needed more than revelations about future events is a revelation of God who was, is and is to come as the glorious God of gods, the LORD of kings, an unrivaled Deliverer whose ways are all truth and judgment, He rules over all, and those who walk in pride He alone is able to abase.  We can know, by God's dealings with Nebuchadnezzar, that He is working to an end beyond our expectation to reveal Himself to all.  In light of the glory of God we ought to follow the example of the humbled king in Daniel 4:34-35:  "And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. ³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?"

Rather than questioning God, let us bless His holy name, praise and worship Him today.  Let us honour Him in trusting His plans and timing, for He is true and just.  God's will shall ultimately be done, and no one can cause His word to cease or frustrate His wisdom.  Glory in God and honour Him today!

Keep Praying and Don't Lose Heart

Luke chapter 18 begins with Jesus telling a parable to illustrate how people ought to always pray and not faint.  There was an unjust judge who was approached by a persistent widow who asked him to avenge her of her adversary.  The man had no interest in justice or love of this woman, but he ended up making a judgment on her case in her favour because he wanted to be rid of her.  Jesus said in Luke 18:7, "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?"  Just because our prayers are not answered immediately should not deter us for praying for God's glory according to His will.  He IS the just Judge who has chosen us, loves us and has promised to take vengeance upon our enemies in His own good time.

In A.W. Tozer's book Going Higher With God in Prayer he made great points about how we ought to be persistent and patient in prayer without losing heart:

"I believe that real faith can afford to wait.  God's grace often operates through natural events.  If you want an ear of corn, plant a grain of corn and wait.  Cultivate it and watch it grow. "For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head" (Mark 4:28).  That's the way God works.  God does not work with slot machines.

I am on a lonely one-man crusade against slot-machine religion.  Put a nickel in the slot and get anything you want.  That's the way people work, but that is not the way God works.

If God's wants chickens, He makes the old hen sit patiently for twenty-one days until an egg hatches.  I used to pity hens, having to wait all that time.  With some birds, it's twenty-eight days, and with others it's even longer.  If God wants an oak tree, it takes Him twenty years to grow it.  If He wants wheat, it takes all winter and up to July of the next year.  The God of nature is also the God of grace.  Therefore, I think we ought not to rush heaven when we pray.  We ought to pray in the will of God and then watch God work slowly.

I have asked God for things and almost gotten discouraged, and then finally saw them begin to happen.  Americans have brass knockers, and they knock three times and want to go right in.  The kingdom of heaven can wait, and you can wait, and I can wait.  Let us trust God and be patient.  Some people in the Old Testament--even in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the Westminster Abbey of the Bible--died before their prayers were answered." (Tozer, A. W., and James L. Snyder. Going Higher with God in Prayer: Cultivating a Lifelong Dialogue. Bethany House Publishers, a Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2022. page 99)

God Brings Us Through

It is lovely how God's word speaks to our hearts in different reasons and ways.  We can be ministered to by our reading of narratives that demonstrate God's faithfulness to guide and strengthen His people on an epic adventure, the lyrics of a Psalm or even a repeated phrase.  As I read Ezekiel 47 this morning, a phrase resonated in my heart of God's goodness.  It was like walking a familiar path, seeing something shiny sticking out of the dirt that prompts you to stop and dig around it to see what it is.  When I examined and turned the phrase over in my mind, I realised it was of incredible value.

Ezekiel 47:1-6 describes a vision of Ezekiel the prophet:  "Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. ² He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side. ³ And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. ⁴ Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. ⁵ Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. ⁶ He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river."

Ezekiel saw a river of water flowing from the presence of God.  As the waters flowed out instead of growing more shallow they grew increasingly deep.  The phrase that grabbed my attention was how Ezekiel said his angelic guide "brought me through the waters."  The waters were ankle deep and Ezekiel was brought through; the waters came to his knees and he was brought through; over one thousand cubits the waters came up to his waist.  When the water became so deep the river could not be crossed without swimming Ezekiel said, "he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river."  It made me consider how God does this for His people, faithfully bringing them through all situations and seasons of life.  Should I see a stream I do not instinctively wade into it, yet when God leads us we can be assured He will bring me through.  While He could part the waters so His people can pass through on dry ground, sometimes He chooses not to.

In my own life I can testify Jesus Christ, the source of the Living Water of the Holy Spirit, has brought me through much water by His grace.  Jesus is faithful to empower and sustain those who trust in Him.  He enables us to stand upright, upholds and guides us with His righteous right hand.  Praise the LORD He has brought us through the ankle-deep water, bringing us through things that on our own we would have quit or turned aside from long ago.  We would have left the river instead of wading onwards and ever deeper, not realising His intention was to bring us through to the point we return to Him.  When things become impossible for us the Holy Spirit prompts us to return to our Saviour as at the beginning, knowing without Jesus we can do nothing.  Because God has brought us through, we can have assurance He will bring us through the waters we are in now whether shallow or deep, refreshing or overwhelming.  Glory to God who brings us through!

Trusting God with Little Things

As human beings, we can be full of inconsistencies.  We can look to God when situations are overwhelming and out of control, yet we can be undone by an accumulation of minor inconveniences.  We trust God to forgive our sins and provide eternal life for us in heaven, but we can worry over finding a parking spot.  Why not trust God with the little things we are involved with as much as the things which obviously are beyond us?

God can use fear, cares and worries to instruct us concerning our persistent lack of faith in God and chronic unbelief.  One example in my own life was during my union apprenticeship.  As I embarked in what I saw as my career path after working other part-time jobs, I prayed God would help me to excel as Daniel did in Babylon University.  My schooling began well but in my second year an experienced foreman made it his aim to stir up trouble for me with the apprenticeship coordinator.  The accusations were so severe the coordinator drove down from Los Angeles to have a face-to-face discussion with me in San Diego.  I was incredulous...and angry.

I was frustrated that a co-worker I trusted would go to such lengths to try to make me miserable, and I was angry with the degree of success he had.  I had heard many times, "The reputation you make as an apprentice you will carry for the next 10 years."  I wanted a good reputation among colleagues and contractors so I would be hired at a local shop and have a chance for advancement.  I felt disillusioned a person I considered a friend would lie about me for who knew what reason.  God used these bad feelings of betrayal to show me I had made my reputation an idol, something I was working for rather than Him.  My fear of a tarnished reputation revealed unbelief in God I did not realise I had, for I had put my trust in my abilities and efforts rather than in His providence, guidance and protection.

I am glad to say the difficult season eventually passed without any negative repercussions on my career or ability to be gainfully employed.  The situation was instrumental in teaching me to rely on and trust God more rather than worrying about "my" reputation.  Jesus made Himself of "no reputation" and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and God exalted Him above all names.  God exposed my selfish reasons for wanting to excel like Daniel (not that it was a bad desire in itself) and used the prospect of a reputation in tatters to teach me it is trusting and pleasing God in humility before Him that matters.  In God's hands, little troubles can lead to massive life lessons.