God Just Needed A Man
Daniel 2
16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
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36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all.
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46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
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God truly is in charge of the times and the seasons. He also, in His divine wisdom, removes kings (Presidents) and sets up kings (Presidents). He sets in motion the changes, times and seasons as He sees fit and according to what will bring Him glory while at the same time bringing man to a place of abject humility.
That’s our God and that’s who we serve.
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The kicker though, is that God’s people sometimes get stuck in the middle and feel the full brunt of what God is going to do. That’s just the way it is. That’s the way God has always carried out His will and purpose.
But perhaps we lose sight of the fact that God allows, even ordains, that during times of intense pressure and persecution His people rise above it all and shine as radiant ambassadors for Him in the darkness that is enveloping.
Perhaps we need, during such times, to realize God just needs a man, one man, that will stay true to his beliefs and stand stalwartly upon his convictions — no matter the cost.
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But here’s what often happens though.
When we read stories such as this about Daniel, we always expect to have a happy ending when faced with unpleasant, difficult, and even life threatening situations. We’re really not braced for the potential that all might not turn out as we anticipate.
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Daniel and his three friends knew, right from the start, that obedience to God might, and most probably would, end in their deaths. They were captives in a foreign land without any rights or the security of a Temple in which to worship. Their very lives were in the hands of a foreign king.
At least so it appeared.
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The truth is …
We can’t know what God might possibly do through us until He places us in the ordained set of circumstances that will force us, enable us, to do the great exploits He has for us.
And the truth also is …
Just like Daniel and his friends, we too are born into the times and seasons He specifically has chosen for us.
We could look at Daniel and think how unfortunate it was he lived most of his entire life in a pagan land. He was constantly being challenged to deny his faith and his God.
But yet he didn’t. And because he didn’t, and wouldn’t, God knew He had a person that could be trusted with the task of changing the heart and life of a king.
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We live in crazy times with an even crazier President. Things are such as they’ve never been in our country. We in essence are living in a pagan society with a heathen President just like Daniel did.
And yet …
Who could have imagined the change brought about by a couple of friends that stood together as one and placed their very lives on the line for the glory of God — be it life or death.
Just like they didn’t know the ending in store for them, we don’t know the ending for us in our times either. But our obligation and responsibility is to our God and the truth of His Word. He never fails to under-gird His people.
And if the will of God meant death for our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ then …
Let us thank God for the opportunities He’s placing before us, in our time, and count ourselves blessed …
Even if it costs us our lives.
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So:
Maybe the man God needs is you.
Maybe the man God needs is me.
Or
Maybe God needs us all.
Trow so?