February 7, 2011

Read Daniel 2:1-9

Where do you turn when life gets tough? What do you do in sticky situations? What’s your first port of call when life doesn’t go the way you wanted it to or expected? The enchanters and magicians and scientists of Babylon found themselves in such a sticky situation. The great king Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the known world, was appointed by the gods Marduk and Nabu to rule the world. This great king was troubled. He had dreams, disturbing dreams. Who did he turn to? He turned to his enchanters, magicians and scientists. They had books of dreams and their interpretations.  All they had to do was tell the king his dream and what it meant. If they did, riches, glory and honour would be theirs. But if they could not tell the king his dream he would cut them into pieces and turn their houses into a pile of rubble.

Who could the enchanters and magicians and scientists turn to? Where could they find help? The books were useless without the content of the dream. The traditions were hopeless because they knew not the dream.  The gods couldn’t help because they were distant and lived not with men.  The trembling party declared to the king their own hopeless situation, “‘What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men.”

You and I are so blessed. We have one who is closer than a brother. We have the Lord Jesus Christ interceding for us before the throne of God Almighty. We have access, 24/7, to God our Father.  In Hebrews 4:16 we read

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

When we are pressed in, when life is squeezing us, when the pressure is building and boiling we can approach the throne of grace confidently assured that God will hear us and help us.  Our God, unlike all other so called gods, is not distant and unapproachable. He has come to us through the incarnation. God walked on earth in Christ Jesus. Even more so, when Christ ascended to heaven, God came to us through his Holy Spirit. God dwells within each and every believer making him instantly and constantly accessible.  Where will you turn when the going gets tough? Turn to God because he is closer than a brother and is there to bless you and aid you.

Prayer:

þ Pray for the work of Straight Talk as they seek to bring abstinence and godly sexuality to teenagers in state schools and Christian schools. Pray for the needed funding and resources. Pray for open doors to get into schools. Pray for receptive hearts. Pray that our God will bless Jim and Faye greatly in this ministry.

þ Pray for the work of OMF as they continue to serve the Lord locally and internationally.

þ Pray that Creation Research will continue to faithfully preach the full gospel