Hello all!
Today I am beginning my journey through the entire Bible in 8 months! I am beginning the journey at an irregular starting point in the book of Daniel. Daniel is a book in the Old Testament and I really am enjoying chapters 1 and 2. I am unsure what this blog is going to look like and sound like since I am such a random, deep thinker. However, if you plan to follow me on this blog at all, you will find it fits me perfectly that way.
Day One. Reflection One.
Daniel 1 interested me in verses 8-21. It reads about how Daniel did not want to defile himself, so he asked the chief official permission to not eat the royal food. The chief official says he is scared he will get in trouble if he does that and Daniel says to trust him. So he does and Daniel and his buddies looked healthier than the others who ate the royal food. God's protection was with them and also the chief official stayed out of trouble, too! Then it goes on to say in verse 17, "To these four young men, God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds." How awesome is that? Following God's obediance, being respectful of the chief official and then trust in God's provision allowed for God to move in these men and their lives. It is such a beautiful picture of God's provision and living in expectancy. Love that!
Daniel 2 is intense! The king, Nebuchadnezzar, begins getting these scary dreams that are troubling him. So he gets enchanters, magicians, sorcerers and the like to come "decode" and explain his dreams for him. In verse 5-6, I think the king shows his insecurity and fear when he states, "...This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me." Can you say scary man? Intense, right? No pressure or anything. I feel as though comments and statements such as these arise so much more in lives that have no security and trust in Christ Jesus. Having a God who has power and life to provide your Spirit is so encouraging! I encourage you, if you have no accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, to really look into it and see the goodness and peace that comes from Him and Him alone. Also, answers, provision, real security, patience, love, and so much more. I cannot begin to tell you how much God has changed my life in the past 2 years and how crazed comments and angry outbursts just do not happen anymore. I can shout when I am frustrated or sit grumpy, but that is such a rare occasion. I usually just pray throughout the day when it's going tough and say, "God, what's going on? I need your peace and your rest. I give you my frustration and my earthly focus. God, give me a heavenly perpective and to not allow this to consume me. Amen." The only reason I would ever share how great God is and how he has changed my life is because like I said, it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. It would be wrong of me not to share the best thing that has ever happened to me, right? After accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and really living a Christian life, I am still me, but the best version of me! So this passage reminded me of how lost and broken we can be when we find answers in others, earthly, ungodly things and ungodly people to justify what we are doing and to answer questions without God. It's hard to get a feeling of complete peace and understanding from empty people and empty works. You can only get filled with God. It is angry, empty and hopeless without him, which is what the king is feeling here.
I love this part, when Daniel prays and God tells him what the king's dream means! He says with such tact in verse 29-30, "As you were lying there, O King, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O King, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind."
In conclusion of Daniel 1 & 2 reading:
I feel like today God really challenged me to be sensitive to his presence and trust in his Heavenly provision. I learned tact from Daniel as well. Also, the obedient path is so blessed by God. <3 Good first day if I do say so myself.
My Prayer:
Thank you Lord for all you have taught me today! I have learned so much from Your Word! You are so good, all the time! Thank you for growing me up and leading me in my walk with you. Today I was trusting in you to be with me during my doctors appointment and I could feel your peace wash over me while I was there. Thank you for that. Thank you for bringing back an old love of writing today as well. Thank you for a story and pages of words. Thank you for the learning of literature that was stated in Daniel tonight. That was a cool thing that related to me and my writing's today. Thanks for creating a relevant and living Word to teach me all that you are and all that you want me to be. God, I lift up all the concerns of my heart and the concerns and pray requests that have been told to me this month. I give them all to you now and ask that you place your hand on them and show them your mighty love and great peace. I love you Jesus. Amen!
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