Monday March 14, 2010

Read Daniel 7:1-3. Revise Daniel 2

Did you notice when the dream that Daniel had was set? Read vs1-3 and take note of the timing.  We’ve gone back in time to the reign of Belshazzar (notably of chapter 5).

The dream starts with the four winds churning up the sea.  That the sea is seen in the dream is worthy of note. The sea was feared by the Hebrew land based people. It was dense, hostile and dangerous. It was there that Leviathan frolicked. It was there that storms raged and ships sank. However, the sea was (read Genesis 1 again) a part of God’s creation and came directly under His sovereignty. Psalm 95:4-5, 104:1-9 show that even the great seas were in His hands.  As such the seas were not to evoke fear but wonder and praise. Men were to see the power of the sea and turn to God in adoration and praise for He  alone could set its boundaries and mark its edges.  The animals that swam in the seas were not representations of the gods of the chaos world. They were God’s creatures created on day 5! He ruled even over them, even over feared Leviathan that no man could tame or kill.

As such the sea proved to be a worthy metaphor for the people of God. It looked out of control. It appeared fierce and untameable. It represented the tumult that the world raged against God but was completely under God’s sovereignty. How often do we see our lives and our circumstances as some saw the sea - uncontrollable, untameable and totally without rule or reign. Sometimes we are in despair as men are in despair at the raging of the sea.  Our lives, and our circumstances, are like the sea. They may seem out of control but they come under the sovereignty and reign of the Lord God Almighty.  Nothing in this world can rage against God and defeat Him. Nothing - no circumstance or person or thing  - can  remove God’s love from you and you from God’s love. Nothing can undo God’s plan for your life. Nothing can get in the way of God’s sovereignty. How does that change your day today? How does that change your approach to life today? How does that affect the way you deal with emergencies and surprises today?

Prayer:-

þ Pray that our brothers in the Grace Reformed College in Burma will know deeply the sovereignty of God. Pray that they will be able to rejoice, praise Him and share His love with the people around them that are anti-Christian.

þ Pray this too for the pastors and workers at Shiloh Church Ministries.

þ Pray this for your Session, Committee of Management and other committees.