In the cosmic symphony orchestrated by God, the seventh day stands as a unique and sacred melody—a day chosen by the Almighty Himself. This divine selection is not subject to human redesign or alteration by earthly authorities. Its significance transcends the whims of convenience and personal inclination.
Scripture warns of a time when great words will be spoken against the Most High, and the saints will face weariness and persecution. In the midst of these challenges, attempts will be made to manipulate times and laws. However, God, in His unwavering wisdom, has firmly established the seventh day as His Sabbath, beyond the reach of human judgment.
The Sabbath, declared in the divine tapestry, remains a symbol of God’s sovereignty and authority. It is not a day shaped by human preferences but is expressly set apart by the Creator. As we navigate the complexities of life, let us anchor ourselves in the understanding that the seventh day, the Sabbath of the Lord, is an integral part of God’s divine plan.
Sabbath Reflection
Understanding the historical and prophetic aspects of why the seventh day holds significance can empower us to share this vital truth with others. Take the time to revisit the roots of Sunday worship and reinforce your knowledge, so you can confidently convey the importance of honoring the true Sabbath when the opportunity arises.
We pray because we want something to change in our lives. Every day, we are attacked by many different circumstances — financial insecurities, health problems, or even relationship issues.
Most of us find prayer “a remedy” to these problems. But what if the answer is different from what we expected?
That’s probably why God used many people in the Bible about prayers being answered. These faithful heroes begged God to intervene in their troubled lives, which He reasonably did.
As you read along, observe these two things:
The reason why that person prayed (intention and attitude)
How has God powerfully answered the prayer
And who knows? It may also change the way you pray and receive God’s answer.
The Heroes Who Prayed
Hannah
In Bible times, when a woman is barren, it brings deep shame to the family. This is because children are seen as God’s gift, and being infertile is a challenging situation.
Like Hannah, you may be in a position where everything is hopeless. You may have already questioned God why you feel that “deep shame”.
But, recorded in 1 Samuel 1:11 (NIV) is Hannah’s prayer of faith.
She said, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
As you see, Hannah already claimed that God would fulfill His promise in her life even before she was pregnant. Sure enough, Samuel went down in history as Israel’s greatest prophet.
Just like Hannah, you can manifest God’s promise in your life and let Him be God.
Daniel
Imagine being in a place where no one knows you, and you’re being kept as a slave. You might have questioned God and blamed Him for your circumstance.
But Daniel reacted otherwise.
He knew God and how to communicate with and listen to God. Also, he made God his Friend in a country where he knew no one. Daniel 2:27-28 (ESV) describes Daniel as one great man.
It says, Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:”
Daniel was successful because He gave God all the credit. And because of that, he became chief administrator of the whole Medo-Persian kingdom!
Daniel might have become proud and arrogant. But, he understood that he was just a servant in the hands of an omnipotent God.
And that understanding came from his personal connection with God through prayer.
Jairus
Let’s talk about something more serious—death.
Jairus had a dying daughter. According to Mark 5:23 (NIV), he pleaded earnestly with Jesus, saying, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put Your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”
All of us are desperate for healing, especially when it is our loved ones who are at stake. We tend to pray and bargain with God to heal them from whatever they’re suffering.
In this story of Jairus, maybe God is just testing our faith. His daughter already died before Jesus arrived at his home!
But Jesus had more than a cure in mind when He urged Jairus to believe. When Jesus entered the house, He resurrected the girl from the dead.
Jesus wants to go above and beyond our expectations—He wants to revive our faith!
Elisha
Have you ever been in a situation where you are responsible for something yet don’t know what to do next?
Elisha did. God gave Elisha prophetic skills and abilities, and these threatened the king. He sent a troop to encircle Elisha’s city and initiate an assault. This news caused Elisha’s servant to panic.
There may be moments when God entrusts us with something, and along with it are circumstances that can harm us.
Instead of panicking, Elisha told his servant. “Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:16, NIV)
God answered Elisha’s prayer by blinding the opposing army. He then led his people out of the city.
You will also have the confidence to accomplish anything God asks of you. This is possible if we seek His protection surrounding us, knowing that our circumstances are blind to His might!
Joseph
The slave who turned into one of the best leaders in Egypt.
The Bible states that Joseph had a close relationship with God, and this is because of his prayer life. Because of this, even his master saw how close he was to God and found favor in him.
Genesis 39:2-4 (ESV) describes how Joseph is with his relationship with God.
It says, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.”
Because of his faithful prayer life, God used him to govern Egypt and deliver them out of famine.
You might relate to Joseph in a way. Your business is not doing good, you have failing grades at school, or a really good friend betrayed you.
Regardless of how bad your situation is, remember that the God who led Joseph from rags to riches will definitely give you a way out, too. Just pray.
David
David was known to be the man after God’s own heart. But, how did he become one?
What does his prayer life look like? David was just like any of us. He committed mistakes, and he admits that he has deeply sinned against God.
But what made David successful was how he acknowledged his mistake and confessed to God. Psalms 51:10 (ESV) says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
After having heartfelt repentance and a deep talk with God, he felt a sense of peace in his heart and accepted that God already forgave him.
In our journey to success, we might experience a lot of temptations and stumbling blocks along the way. But, our persistent surrender to God will make us successful in our day-to-day battle with trials.
Jesus
Really? The Man who saved the world from sin prayed, too?
Yes. Jesus was not exempted from the benefits of this ultimate secret. As recorded in the Scriptures, He spent many, many hours in prayer.
Jesus could’ve just skipped the prayer part and went on to save the world.
But, no.
Every day, in the early hours of the morning, He kneeled and prayed to God the Father for protection and guidance.
“But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray,” according to Luke 5:16 (ESV). By spending time with his Father regularly, Jesus stayed in touch with His desire and purpose.
Why did Jesus do this?
Because He wants to be an example of how powerful prayer is.
Even before He was crucified, He prayed and pleaded to God to let the circumstance pass. But He was willing to submit Himself for God’s leading and will, and that was how the most extraordinary love story started.
There is Power in Prayer
Prayer has worked wonders in the lives of people in the Bible, and it can work for you, too!
It will help you to:
Acquire peace of mind
Be patient
Become the person God wants you to become
God’s Word is transparent in how great heroes in the Bible are and how dependent they are on God. He wants us to be comforted that He always provides the best answers only if we allow His power to influence our lives.
Author Bio
Heroes 2 is a Bible trivia game released by the Hope Channel. It is a sequel to the game, Heroes, which was released in 2013. The latest game version is on 3D graphics and animation, enhanced with unique features and more challenging Bible questions. It comes in four languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. The game is available on both iOS and Android.
Daniel answered and said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are His. He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings, and sets up kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who know understanding; He reveals the deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.
I thank You, and praise You, O God of my fathers, Who has given me wisdom and might, and has made known to me now what we desired of You”¦.” – Daniel 2:20-23
In our last post, we began looking at what this passage teaches us about living prophetically. We talked about God’s desire to transfer to us the wisdom and might He possesses. We also saw that God is the changer of times and seasons in our lives and how being aware of that helps us to flourish. Let’s continue.
He gives wisdom and understanding to those who already have it.
Remember the parable Jesus told of the ten pounds, in Luke 19:11-26? A rich man entrusted equal amounts of money to each of ten servants, intending that they would gain more through investing. They accomplished varying levels of increase, but one man did nothing with the money he had been given. He just hid it. His master was angry, and gave a surprising directive:
He said to those who stood by, “Take from him the pound, and give it to him who has ten pounds.”
The other servants objected, “Lord, he already has ten pounds!”
The master answered, “I say to you, that to everyone who has shall be given; and he who has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him” (verses 24-26).
Things work a lot differently in God’s kingdom than we might expect. The Lord wants to give more to those who appreciate what He has already given them. If you are a child of God, you have an open offer of wisdom from Him. He promises it to us in many places in the Bible. If you value wisdom, you will seek Him for more – because we never have all we could have. He will gladly give it, for “”¦ He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
If you don’t value wisdom, you’ll be lackadaisical about seeking it – and your contentment to stay at your present level will hinder you from receiving all the wisdom and understanding God really desired for you to have (which is much more than you currently possess). We can never have too much wisdom, so go after the Lord for more. He’ll be happy to give it to you.
He reveals the deep and secret things to those who want to know.
This goes along with our previous point. God’s secrets aren’t reserved for a few hotshot prophets. He will share them with anyone who is serious about being His friend – whoever takes time to read His Word and ask Him about it; whoever inquires, “”What’s on Your heart, Lord? I want to know Your concerns. What do You want to talk about?” (and then listens for His response).
“”¦ His secret is with the righteous.” – Proverbs 3:32
“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him”¦” – Psalm 25:14
You are righteous in Christ. You qualify to hear His secrets. He loves sharing them with you.
He knows what’s going on in darkness, and light dwells with Him.
In context, “He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him” is continuing to speak of God drawing out the deep and secret things and revealing them to us. However, I see an additional application we can make.
Recently, I was upset about a wacky teaching an influential prophet was disseminating. (Praying for the American Church is a major focus of mine, so when I see error going on, it really bothers me.) But the Lord reminded me from Daniel 2:22 that He is very aware of what is going on, and I can leave it to Him. I don’t have to get worked up about the dark things. Instead, He wants me to fasten my attention on Him, to lift my eyes to where He is, in the light. In due time, He will take care of it, just as He says about the tares and wheat in Matthew 13:24-30. I can pray for the Church to be delivered from deception, but I should do it from the place of gazing on the Lord of light, not fuming about the stuff of darkness. It changed my perspective, for sure!
If we’re going to be overcomers in our tumultuous times, we must refuse to focus on the darkness around us, get our eyes on the Lord, and have confidence that He is on top of things.
Let’s sum up the lessons we can learn from Daniel 2:20-23:
1. Believe that the Lord delights to impart His wisdom and understanding to you. Seek Him for more of it.
2. Ask Him to share His deep secrets with you, because He wants to.
3. Don’t focus on the darkness. Instead, keep your eyes on Jesus, in the light.
4. When life seems to be shifting uncomfortably, remember that He is the One Who changes times and seasons. Stay close to Him, and move with Him.
By doing these things, we stay safe in His care while growing in His wisdom and knowledge.
Daniel answered and said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are His. He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings, and sets up kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who know understanding; He reveals the deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.
I thank You, and praise You, O God of my fathers, Who has given me wisdom and might, and has made known to me now what we desired of You”¦.”
– Daniel 2:20-23
Daniel was giving thanks to the Lord for revealing to him Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its interpretation. Less familiar portions of the Bible can have gold nuggets hidden in them, and so it is here. There’s a lot of treasure for prophetic people in this short passage, so let’s take a look at what God has for us.
God desires to share His wisdom with us.
Daniel starts out by extolling God for His wisdom and might. He mentions that these two qualities belong to the Lord: they are His. He ends with thanking and praising the Lord, “Who has given me wisdom and might.”
Isn’t it amazing that the Lord of the whole universe delights to bestow on us what He possesses? Paul says in Romans 8:32, “He Who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” He also stated, in 1 Corinthians 3:21, 22, “”¦All things are yours, whether ”¦ the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours.” We so easily take the gifts of God for granted, but if we would think about them more deeply, our hearts would be inspired to overwhelming awe.
All true wisdom originates with the Lord. We cannot get it anywhere else. We should not even attempt to glean wisdom from so-called wise men who do not worship the true God, nor should we attempt to use their techniques for achieving peace or revelation. In Christ alone “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). Furthermore, “Beware, so that no one spoils you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ: for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:8, 9).
Now, the Holy Spirit might enlighten us to a portion of His wisdom through another person. He does that through sermons, godly counsel, and the word gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. We should also expect to receive wisdom directly from the Lord. But there is no other source of wisdom besides Him, and we get ourselves into a mess of deception if we go looking for it outside of Him. We can have confidence that, if we ask Him, He will be eager to give it, because He has already promised, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives to all men liberally and does not upbraid [reproach], and it shall be given to him” (James 1:5).
God changes the times and seasons.
Whether it is what is going on in our personal lives, or in our nation and the world, we need to stay keenly aware that God has specific times and seasons for things. When His season is up, He moves on. We must stay attuned to Him, so that we don’t miss His shifts from one thing into another. When He is breathing life into something, it continues, increases, and thrives. But when He is done with it, it’s dead. You can enthusiastically kick that horse all you want, but without the Lord’s life in it, it’s not going anywhere.
Most of us like staying put in what is familiar. Change is disconcerting. Jesus commented on this tendency, when He likened the old and new covenants to wineskins. He said, “No man also having drunk old wine immediately desires new: for he says, ‘The old is better’” (Luke 5:39).
When upheaval is happening in our personal lives or in the nation or world, it is often because God is preparing a new thing. If we understand this, we will not let what we observe in the natural make us afraid. Keep your eyes on Jesus, Who does all things well (Mark 7:37), and be ready to move with Him – even quickly. There is blessing for the person who is open to the new works of God.
Lately I have been praying, “Lord, help me to recognize when You are shifting the seasons, give me Your understanding of how to respond, and help me to keep up with You!”
There are a few more lessons we can learn from Daniel 2:20-23. We’ll continue with them next time.
