The Humbling of a King

Daniel chapter four. The humbling of a king. So The book of Daniel is full of prophecy. Some of it hasn't happened yet. Some of it's still to come when Christ returns and during the tribulation time and the time of the Antichrist, that is still yet future to us.

A good bit of it happened hundreds of years after Daniel with the Persian Empire and then the Greek Empire and then the Roman Empire. And when we get to Daniel chapter seven, we'll go back to the image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream with the head of gold and arms and chest of silver and all that. And, there's a lot more about what happens during that time period, later in the book of Daniel. There also is prophecy in the book of Daniel that the prophecy is given and the fulfillment takes place days, weeks, months, or years later, still during Daniel's time. This is one of those cases in Daniel chapter four, the prophecy comes by way of a dream again given to Nebuchadnezzar, the interpretation of Daniel, and just a year later it is fulfilled.

So some of it takes place right away, some for hundreds of years later, some is yet future to us. So that that is the book of Daniel, covers a whole lot of the prophecy of the Lord. So I wanna start out by reading the first three verses of chapter four. So the first three verses of chapter four, this is Nebuchadnezzar's salutation so to speak. Chapter four is really not it seems maybe was transcribed by Daniel, but actually these are not the words of Daniel, these are the words of Nebuchadnezzar.

Okay? So what we have in chapter four is a decree given by the king of Babylon that is recorded by Daniel in the book for us. So this is Nebuchadnezzar's personal testimony of what happened to him. And in verse one, says, Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all the people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good, excuse me, I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.

How great are his signs, how mighty are his wonders, his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion is from generation to generation. That is the decree given by the king, likely a public decree to the people of Babylon, which must have come as a little bit of a shock to a pagan kingdom ruled by a very pagan tyrant who is praising and making this decree concerning the God of Israel who they had conquered and captured. So, this might have caught some off guard and it is odd coming from Nebuchadnezzar. But God does miraculous things and no thing is too great for him. Even turning the heart of a tyrant who by all means in many ways is worse than Hitler, is worse than Stalin, is worse than Mao.

Nebuchadnezzar was a terrible terrible tyrant. But yet, God got to him and for a purpose to bring glory to the Lord and to direct the history of the world because really history is his story. Okay. But this chapter and Nebuchadnezzar sums it up in the last verse. We're look ahead.

We'll look, you know, some people like to look at the end of the book before they read all of it. So we'll skip ahead to the inverse here. Verse 37, Nebuchadnezzar says, now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven, all whose works are truth, his ways judgment, and those that walk in pride, he is able to abase. When he says those who walk in pride, is able to abase, who is he talking about? He's talking about himself.

That's who he's talking about. The Bible tells us in Proverbs sixteen eighteen, pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall and how great is the fall of Nebuchadnezzar here in chapter four. Proverbs six sixteen and seventeen, God tells us just how much he hates pride. These six things doth the Lord hate, yea, seven are abomination unto him. The first one is a proud look.

And we're gonna read about Nebuchadnezzar's proud look and what God did to erase that proud look off of his face. Luke fourteen eleven says, for whosoever exalted himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted and that all happens here in chapter four. The proud is abased and then the humble is exalted. And so, we we see the hand of God at work in the life of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, and the kingdom of Babylon. I want to read from the book here that I'm I'm sort of sort of following.

I'm not really good at following books, but I'm sort of using this. The handwriting on the wall by David Jeremiah. I wanna read this little illustration he gave. It's concerning Napoleon. The story is told that on the morning of the battle of Waterloo have you ever heard of that battle?

What battle of Waterloo? Did Napoleon win that battle or lose it? Anybody remember? He lost it. Okay.

There you go. Anyway, the story is told on the coming in the morning of the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon was describing, to his commander, manning officer, his strategy for that day's campaign. He said, we'll put the infantry here, the cavalry over there, and the artillery in that spot. At the end of the day, England will be at the feet of France and Wellington will be the prisoner of Napoleon.

The commanding officer responded, but we must not forget that man proposes and God disposes. With typical arrogance, the little dictator pulled his hand and pulled his, pulled his body to its full five foot two and replied, I want you to understand sir that Napoleon proposes and Napoleon disposes. Victor Hugo, the novelist reportedly wrote from the moment water from from that moment Waterloo was lost. For God sent rain and hail so that the troops of Napoleon could not maneuver as he had planned. And on the night of the battle, it was Napoleon who was prisoner of Wellington and France was at the feet of England.

For whosoever exalted himself shall be abased and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Lessons that we can learn tonight from Napoleon and Nebuchadnezzar because man does propose but God does dispose and God is in charge. Nebuchadnezzar had to learn this the hard way. It took several events in his life to bring him to his knees.

But it did seem, does seem that God did bring him, to his knees. In chapters two and three, Nebuchadnezzar hinted on a couple occasions that that he was, you know, warming up to the God of Daniel. But after chapter two and his vision about the the image, he decided that he was gonna make an image of himself and have everybody bow down to it. Doesn't seem like he had really changed his heart, did he? After, Daniel, after the lie the three Hebrew children and and the fiery furnace incident where God proved once again that he was greater than Nebuchadnezzar and Nebuchadnezzar even saw the image of the son of God in the fire, he still went back to his pagan ways and his prideful heart.

So God kept working. By the way, don't give up on people that you love and you care for because sometimes just when you think, it's not gonna happen, it does. God God is able, so don't give up on them. So in in verse four, Nebuchadnezzar begins his testimony here of what happened to bring him to his knees before the true God. Verse one, I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in mine house and flourishing in my palace.

I saw a dream which made me afraid and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore, I made made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. Then came in the magicians and astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, and I told the dream before them, but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. But at last, Daniel came in before me whose name was Belteshazzar according to the name of my God and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods and before him I told the dream. So again, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream, a dream that very much troubles him.

And so what did Nebuchadnezzar do? Well, he called for his magicians and his astrologers. What does that tell us? Well, that tells us again, he hasn't really learned his lesson yet. He keeps going back to a dry well.

If your well is dry, you don't go back to the same dry well over and over again. But Nebuchadnezzar seems content to do that at first. I think maybe though he respects Daniel and he trusts Daniel, maybe he doesn't really want to hear Daniel. Maybe he's a little bit afraid of what Daniel might, might tell him. This happened with some of the kings of of Israel.

They would go to the other the prophets first, the ones that were in their pockets so to speak and would tell them what they wanted to hear. And then if they didn't like that, then they would go, to the real prophet, to see what he had to say. And this is the case here with Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel. He goes to the to the pagan, his pagan counselors once again and they cannot help him. Finally, he goes to Daniel.

Why not first? Well, again, I'm I'm just not sure he wanted to hear what Daniel had to say. But you know the truth is what we need to hear and the truth is what Nebuchadnezzar needed to hear. And I think sometimes we don't go to the Lord maybe as quick as we ought to. We try to find other ways because maybe we know that God's way is not our way.

And so we try our way first. And when that doesn't work out, then we go to the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Trust in God. He's not gonna lead you astray.

His way really is best and you really will be happiest and most fulfilled. Why not go to him first? So eventually, Nebuchadnezzar did go to Daniel. He says he has the one who has has the spirit of the holy gods. If you have New King James, it says the spirit of the holy God.

It can be translated either way because Elohim in Hebrew is a plural. When it's used of false gods, it is translated as a plural gods, little g. When it's used of the true and living God, it is translated as a singular, God, big g. Okay? It is all the way through the Old Testament that way.

It is a special case in Hebrew where in order to emphasize the greatness and the glory of God, he's actually referred to using a plural name though he is only one God. But so the translators here couldn't decide whether Nebuchadnezzar was saying he has the spirit of the holy gods as in he's referring to many gods or he has the spirit of the holy God referring to the true God. So either one, we know which one it was. Daniel had the spirit of the holy God, the true God, and by the way, guess who else has that? We do.

We do. Praise the Lord. Daniel let that spirit lead him and guide him and speak through him to the glory of the Lord and Nebuchadnezzar could see it. And even though maybe he didn't want to hear it, he knew it. He knew that he could trust Daniel because the spirit of the true, the holy God lived inside of him.

That brings us to verse nine. Let's look at the dream. Old Belteshazzar, that's Daniel's pagan name given to him by Nebuchadnezzar. O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know the spirit of the holy gods is in thee and no secret trouble with thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and the interpretation thereof. Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed.

I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth and the height thereof was great. The tree grew and was strong. The height thereof reached unto heaven and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth. The leaves thereof were fair and the fruit thereof much and in it was meat for all. The beasts of the field had shadow under it and the fowls of heaven dwelt in the bowels thereof and all flesh was fed of it.

I saw in the vision of my head upon my bed and behold a watcher or an angel and a holy one came down from heaven. He cried aloud and said thus, hew down the tree, cut off his branches, shake off the leaves, scatter the fruit, let the beast get away from under it and the fowls from his branches. Nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass and the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.

Let his heart be changed from man's and let a beast's heart be given unto him and let seven times or seven years pass over him. This matter is by the decree of the watchers and the demand of the word of the holy ones to the intent that the living may know that the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will and set up over it the be the basest of men. Set up over at the basis, the lowliest, the the the least of men. This this stream I, Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now there, oh, Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof more as much as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation, but thou art able for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

So the dream. Nebuchadnezzar sees this impressive beautiful tree in his dream. It reaches up into the sky, it spreads out over all the earth. It provides food for the people that dwell on the earth. Shade for the animals, protection under its limbs, dwelling in the bowels of the tree for the birds.

It is a sight to behold. What do you think the tree represents? Just if you just had to guess. The kingdom of Babylon, the head of the kingdom of Babylon which is Nebuchadnezzar. It was an impressive, it was a beautiful kingdom.

Babylon was said to be one of the most in that in beautiful, impressive cities ever built by men. It extended out to much of the earth, a larger kingdom than any that was before it. But then this this tree, in the dream, Nebuchadnezzar sees and this watcher, this angel, this holy one is sent from heaven with a decree to do what to the tree? To cut it down. Bring the tree down.

That's what they do. They bring the tree down. They cut it off near the ground, just a little stump is left and the the the birds the birds are scattered and the animals are scattered and the tree is gone, the dew rests upon the stump of the tree. And and that big tree is no more. Nonetheless, the root remains.

Suddenly, if you'll look in verse 15 as it's talking about the tree, it says, nevertheless, leave the stump of what's the next word? His. His. So a tree is an it. We've been talking about the tree it, the tree, and now we get to verse 15 and all of all of a sudden the it turns into a what?

A he or a his. Okay? So now we definitely know we're talking about a person, a man that's represented here by the tree. Leave the stump of his roots in the earth with a band of iron and brass and the tender grass. Let his portion be with the beast in the grass of the earth.

Let his heart be changed from man's and let a heart a beast's heart be given on to him. So the stump remains meaning if you leave the stump in the roots, then life is still is still there. We had a tree in our front yard when I was a kid, we called it a locust tree. I haven't seen any it must not be indigenous to Florida. Locust tree, they get thorns on them, so you didn't you wanna be careful around locust trees, you'll get stuck.

But this locust tree was as big around as this pulpit and but it got into the power lines and we had to cut the thing down. So we cut it down and for the next ten years that I lived there, every time I mowed the grass, I was mowing down little locust trees because those roots must have gone out for 30 yards into the front yard and those little things would sprout up everywhere and as all the time cutting down those little little locust trees that were popping up from the roots even years later. So the stump remains meaning that his life remains, whoever he is, which actually we'll come to know as Nebuchadnezzar, and his kingdom were also represented by the tree as secure. It's not gone, not yet. His heart has changed from a man's heart to that of a what?

An animal or beast. He's reduced to living like one for how long? For seven seasons or seven years. And the reason is given, for why this is the case. We are told in verse 17 about halfway through the verse, it says, to the intent that the living may know that the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will and set it up over it the basest of men.

So the reason for what is about to happen represented by this dream is so that the people of the earth will recognize that who is in control, That God is in control. He raises up, he brings down. He appoints and, he does the opposite. God is in control. Every knee shall what?

Every knee shall bow. So Daniel gives the interpretation. I have a feeling that Nebuchadnezzar kinda knew what was coming probably wasn't good. Verse 19, then Daniel whose name was Belteshazzar was astonied or astonished, troubled for one hour and his thoughts troubled him. So Daniel, I think right away knew the interpretation, but he didn't want to tell who.

He didn't want to tell the king what the interpretation was because it wasn't good, it was bad news. It's like you go to the doctor and the doctor has something to tell you, the test showed this and it's not good news. And so he's troubled that he has to give you the bad news. Well, this is Daniel. He's troubled because he's gonna have to give Nebuchadnezzar the bad the bad news.

So here we go. It's coming. Verse 19, still the king spake and said Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation thereof trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, my Lord, the dream be to them that hate thee and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. In other words, it's not going to go well for you.

The tree that thou sawest which grew was strong, whose height reached unto heaven, the sight thereof to all the earth whose leaves were fair and fruit thereof much and in it was meat for all under which the beasts of the field dwelt upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation. It is thou, oh king. Thou art grown and become strong for thy greatness is grown and reacheth unto heaven and thy dominion to the end of the earth. Well, if only Daniel could have stopped there. And sadly, as we'll see in a moment, Nebuchadnezzar sort of did stop there.

He stopped there when it came to the head of gold in the image in chapter two. And he takes well to being built up and praised and exalted. It doesn't take so well to having to humble himself and that's what's coming next. Verse 23, and whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven and saying, hew the tree down and destroy it, yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth. Even with a band of iron and brass and the tender grass of the field, let it be wet with the dew of heaven, let his portion be with the beasts of the field till seven times Passover.

This is the interpretation, o king, and this is the decree of the most high which has come upon my Lord the king, That they shall drive thee from men, thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, they shall make thee to eat grass as an oxen, they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven and seven times shall pass over thee till thou know that the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, After that, thou shall have known that the heavens do rule. Wherefore, oh king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee and break off thy sins by righteousness and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility. So Daniel interprets it, you're the tree, your tree is gonna be cut down. It's going to happen how?

Suddenly. And not only are you going to be led from your throne, but you're gonna live like a wild animal for seven years. You're gonna eat grass like a wild animal. You're gonna live out in the open air and the dew is gonna fall upon you for seven for seven years until you come to acknowledge that it isn't you that's done all this. This great Babylon is not to the glory of Nebuchadnezzar, but to the God who made you and the God who established you for his purpose at this time.

So Nebuchadnezzar listened to the sage advice of Daniel. It's interesting that the time frame was how long that he would be deposed. Seven years. Seven years he would be in misery. Seven years he would be have lost his mind, which is what's gonna happen.

He's gonna lose his mind. Seven years. Is there any other thing in Bible that happens at seven years? How about something that we talk about a little bit later in Daniel called the tribulation, the seventieth week of Daniel? It's seven years long.

The antichrist is gonna come on the scene. The antichrist does share some things in common with who? Nebuchadnezzar. And he is going to think that he is going to rule the world. Seven years at the end of that time, he's gonna find out differently and the kingdoms of men are gonna fall before the king of heaven.

Daniel gives sage advice to Nebuchadnezzar here as he concludes in verse 27. He says, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee. Listen. Please listen. I think Daniel is genuinely concerned about Nebuchadnezzar.

I think Daniel does consider Nebuchadnezzar a friend despite the fact how Daniel ended up here in the first place. He does care and even his his criticism and even his warning and his rebuke is maybe at least partially considered because Nebuchadnezzar knew that Daniel did care about him. You know, people care a lot more about what you know and about what you say if they first know that you what? If they first know that you care. Yeah.

I think Daniel did care. He said to the king, please listen. Break off thy sins, turn from your sins by righteousness. In other words, do the right thing. Obey the Lord.

Let thine iniquities go turn from your iniquities and show mercy to the poor or the oppressed. It may be a lengthening of thy tranquility. Daniel's not saying to Nebuchadnezzar, you can avoid this for Daniel doesn't know that. But Daniel says, maybe if you'll humble yourself, if you'll bow before the God of heaven, if you'll start doing what's right, maybe you can you can put this thing put this thing off. Well, I don't know.

Maybe Nebuchadnezzar did take that to heart for a little while. However, verse 28, all this came upon Nebuchadnezzar. Verse 29, at the end of twelve months, he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake and said, is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power for the honor of my majesty. While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, oh, Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee.

Can can you imagine? Here's Nebuchadnezzar. He's walking on his balcony. He's overlooking the beautiful hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the great seven wonders of the ancient world. And he's looking out over his dominion saying, man, this is great.

Look what I've done all to my glory. And then all of a sudden, a voice, a voice, a voice from heaven. In his ears, audibly he hears and the voice says this, oh, Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee. And seconds later, what happens to Nebuchadnezzar? His mind snaps.

The brilliant, the magnificent, the intelligent king becomes worse than childlike, more like an animal. He goes mad in an instant after God decrees his judgment. He didn't listen to Daniel. It was too hard for him to swallow his pride. And so he suffered something similar to a mental illness called lycanthropy.

That translates to wolf man, werewolf. But it goes on to say in verse 32, they shall drive thee from men and thy dwelling will be with the beasts of the field. They shall make thee eat grass as oxen. Seven times shall pass over thee until thou know that the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar.

He was driven from men. He did eat grass as an oxen. His body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hairs were grown like eagles feathers and his nails like bird's claws. This is a result of his probably more of his diet than anything else, eating grass like an oxen or maybe other complications from an illness that wasn't natural, but what? Supernatural, Brought from God upon him.

Why? Because he refused to acknowledge the God who made him king. He refused to swallow his pride and humble himself before the God who kept who kept speaking to him and coming to him and giving him information that nobody else had. But he couldn't swallow his pride. Sad to say how many people are gonna wake up in hell someday because they couldn't swallow their pride.

Because they couldn't walk an aisle. They couldn't let anybody know that they weren't what they were pretending to be. There's going to be a lot of people at the great white throne judgment who are evil dictators and wicked criminals who refuse to bow before the God of heaven. But there's also going to be church members and people that grew up in Christian homes that wanted everybody to think they were something they weren't and weren't able to swallow their pride and say, I'm a sinner and I too need a what? Need a savior.

As bad as this is, this was for how long? Seven years. Now, I can't imagine that. I can't imagine what Nebuchadnezzar went through. Seven years.

Can't imagine what people around him thought. Great king, wild animal. Wow. I am sure many people gave up on him. You know something?

I think there was one person who didn't give up on him all seven years, Daniel. I think Daniel didn't. Why? Because Daniel, he knew the prophecy and he knew that this was for seven years. So I don't think Daniel gave up on him.

That seven years, he suffered one of the greatest humiliations, But it was worth it. It was worth it. I did I don't have this in my notes, but I have counseled many people through the years, parents and loved ones who had a child who was suffering, a child who was struggling and into some bad things and they they didn't want their child to suffer. And that is that is being a loving parent or friend or you don't want anyone to suffer. But the end result of Nebuchadnezzar's suffering was worth it.

And as we read on, Nebuchadnezzar thought so. Seven years of mental illness, seven years of humiliation, but it was worth it. And sometimes, we have to just trust the Lord and pray that God do whatever he needs to do to bring our loved ones to the point to which he brought who? Nebuchadnezzar. Because it is for Nebuchadnezzar's good that he suffered such humiliation and trial.

And God did bring him back. And God did put him back on the throne. Verse 34. And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes into heaven and mine understanding returned unto me and I blessed the most high. And I praised and honored him that liveth forever whose dominion is an everlasting dominion.

His kingdom is from generation to generation and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. Now that's something coming from Nebuchadnezzar because Nebuchadnezzar thought himself to be what? Something. Not nothing, but these are the words of Nebuchadnezzar. And all the inhabitants of the earth, that includes him, are reputed as nothing.

He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? There's no one, no God, no one, nothing that is in a position to say to God, what are you doing? Because there is no higher authority. There is no one worthy. There's no one able.

He is God. He is both holy and omnipotent. He knows what he's doing and he will do it. And there's no one that can stand in his way. Satan keeps trying.

Nebuchadnezzar is a little bit like the antichrist in some ways. We looked at that a week or two ago. He's also a little bit like Satan. But Nebuchadnezzar bowed his knee, Satan never will. Satan just keeps on trying, but he will fail.

At the same time, verse 36, when Nebuchadnezzar admitted, came to his senses, at the same time my reason returned unto me and the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and the brightness returned unto me and my counselors and my Lord sought unto me and I was established in my kingdom and excellent majesty was added unto me. Think of Job. Thought of Job just now. Job lost everything, but he got twice as much in return and he learned a valuable lesson in the interim between the first and the last. Nebuchadnezzar is basically saying the same thing.

Yeah. Seven years. I don't know how long Job suffered. I tend to think it wasn't that long. His friends hung out with him for a while.

I doubt they hung out with him for seven years. Seven years is a long time, but God restored him. God said he would. God always keeps his what? Promises.

And at the end of seven years, God granted him enough clarity for him to look up to heaven and acknowledge who God is. And God restored him. Somehow, I don't know how, but God did it. He restored him to his throne and to the glory that he now gave to the God of heaven. And so our story ends, Nebuchadnezzar's testimony ends, verse 37.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven. All whose works are truth and his ways judgment are just and those that walk in pride, is able to abase. His final testimony, God is sovereign. He will do as he pleases because he is who? He is God.

Furthermore, he is a God of truth and justice. What is Nebuchadnezzar saying? Nebuchadnezzar is saying this, what happened to me was just. What happened to me for seven years was just. Now that is a king with a humbled heart who is willing to say what I suffered, I deserved.

And then he ends with this. He declares that God is able to exalt the lowly and to abase the proud. Those that walk in pride, he is able to abase. And God could have killed him, and God could have taken away his throne forever, and God would have been what? Would have been just.

But our God is a God of the second chance, a God of mercy and grace. And if he can show mercy to Nebuchadnezzar and he can show mercy to Paul, he is God of grace and mercy upon us and praise the Lord he is and upon the world in which we live. We look around sometime at the wickedness of men and people in our society and we think, well, it's all over. It's not all over till Jesus comes back. It's not all over till Jesus comes back.

You don't know what Jesus might do. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you Lord for your mercy and love. I pray Lord that we might humble ourselves before you, that you need not humble us. I pray, Lord, that we would recognize the God who loves us and has shown such grace and mercy to us, long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance even Nebuchadnezzar.

Pray Lord that you would help us to be Daniels in the world in which we live. We may not be gifted with the interpretation of dreams, but we are gifted with the spirit that Daniel had. We are gifted with the word of God and the good news of the gospel. We're gifted with talents and abilities and gifts that you have given us to be used in your service and to shine brightly into this world in which we live, this pagan world, to be a light for Jesus Christ and to bring souls to the savior. Lord, may we be like Daniel more so every day, we pray.

In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.