Do you know your God?
In Daniel 2, we find a peculiar story about a King by the name of Nebuchadnezzar who had a disturbing dream. A dream so vivid that it kept him up at night with worry. He then called all the wise men of Babylon and told them that he had a dream that was rather concerning. Of course, they were ready to interpret it, but the king had not told them the dream yet.
Why?
Because he expected the dream and the interpretation!. This was a crazy request, and no one could do it. This made the king furious, and he gave an edict that all wise men were to be killed. Unfortunately, this included Daniel and his three friends, who literally had nothing to do with this.
Now, if I were Daniel, I would have packed my things and fled the country because why should I die if the country is being ruled by a lunatic?
But he didn’t run; rather, he went to the king and asked for time. Then, he and his friends spent the night praying!
The answer came that very night. Now, how much trust did Daniel have to know that God would answer? How confident was he in praying through a tough situation instead of worrying or making other plans, knowing God would answer?
He went on to proclaim that God had answered, recited the dream and explained the interpretation. Saved the lives of countless wise men. Knowing God displays who He is to those around us, and that’s how we can save them.
Remember, Daniel, Shadrach, Abednego and Meshach weren’t the only Jews in Babylon at the time. What made them stand out? It was knowing their God, spending time with Him and having a deep walk with Him. This also meant they had extreme trust and belief in who God was and what He could do. Are we close to God? Are we close enough to trust Him if our lives depended on it? Would you pray knowing that your demise is being sought?
How is our relationship with God? Do we know Him deeply enough to believe in His abilities, or do we always have a Plan B if we don’t get what we want?
Is our relationship with God based on obligation or on love? Is it a religious time slot or a continuous relationship? Is it a ticked checklist or spontaneous worship? Is our love for Him based on our love for Him or on how much time we have left over for Him? Is our relationship a weekly meeting or intimate fellowship?
It’s good to know your Bible, but there’s an issue if you stop there. We must apply the word of God and let it guide us to draw closer to Jesus. You can’t read someone’s Wikipedia page and claim to know them. You may know about them, but you haven’t met them to understand who they are. God has many stalkers but few friends; He has many fans but not many followers.
Daniel took time to spend in prayer. No one will know who God is without spending time with Jesus. And without spending time with Him, we will never know what God can do through us. We will never know the impossible.
... but the people who do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
Do we acknowledge God in everything we do? Or is He someone we visit every Sunday for an hour? What about the rest of the week? We see less of God and then complain that we see less of God…
A true Christian understands that His relationship with Jesus transcends what happens on a Sunday morning. He must begin to build His faith in Christ every day. A man must be fed every day and not once a week.
There are 3 ways people indirectly think they know God:
Like Wikipedia – They’ve read the Bible but never have a relationship with Him. There’s nothing wrong with knowing the Bible, but that’s only the beginning. You can’t claim to know Sylvester Stallone by reading his Wikipedia page but never met him.
Like Breaking News – They’ve heard a lot about God from others, social media, etc. They’ve adopted the concepts of God from others; the opinions and experiences are not their own. It’s like telling everyone about how amazing the Nickelback concert was but never attended. You only know what happened because someone told you.
Like Heritage – Many people are Christians because their parents dragged them to church. Faith cannot be inherited. They cannot write their relationship with God in their wills. You need to build one with Jesus yourself.
We have one life, a vapour in the wind, and spending time with God shouldn’t be a burden because this is what we will be doing for all eternity…