Theme: Living Out Our Faith.
Topic: Trusting God Against All Odds
Main Text: Daniel 2: 1-23
Key Verse: Daniel 1: 20: “And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the King examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.” (NKJV)
Introduction:
To trust God is to wholly rely on him believing in His ability and strength whatever the circumstances. In the first chapter, we see Daniel and his companions trust God to honour their decision to remain faithful to Him and not defile themselves in the matter of food (Daniel 1:8). Daniel 1:17 tells us that God gave Daniel and his three companions “knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in visions and dreams”. However, relying on gifts, even when given by God Himself, is not enough to carry out the purpose of God. We must trust in Him with all our heart, and “lean not on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Trusting God is a personal choice (Joshua 24:15). It means trusting what God says about Himself to us. In trusting God, we ought to move past the situation and focus on God. We need to key into what He says about Himself and about the world. We ought to believe God’s word completely.
Q1. Read Daniel 2:16-18. (1a) What do you observe from what Daniel did? (1b) What do his actions say about what he thought about the situation and about God? (1c) Do you think Daniel was prepared for the consequences if God did not reveal the king’s dream to he and his friends? Please explain.
Paragraph 2:
Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon – an absolute monarch whose word was law and the mightiest man of his time. His power could not guarantee a peaceful night’s sleep. He knew his troubled dream was meant to convey an important message that he could not unravel himself. He turned to his experts, but he did not trust them, perhaps based on experience. In his fury, he condemned all the wise men of his kingdom, including Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to be executed. The killing had already begun by the time Daniel became aware that he was under a death sentence. Unlike the Chaldeans, Daniel remained calm and responded with “counsel and wisdom” (Daniel 2:14). Because he knew His God, he acted boldly in going in to a furious king that had ordered his death to ask for time to give him the interpretation – the Chaldeans played for time (v8) Daniel simply asked for it.
Q2. Read Hebrew 11:6, John 11:40, Mark 9:23 (2a) How do you see the truths in these passages manifest in Daniel’s response? (2b) In Daniel 2:20-23, what was it about Daniel that prompted his actions? (2c) How can we emulate Daniel in dire situations confronting us, individually and collectively?
Paragraph 3:
Crises reveal character. Daniel could be calm in the face of the threat of death because, like David, he understood that “[his] time was in [God’s] hands” (Psalm 31:15). It is often hard for us to believe that God IS fully in control. Nebuchadnezzar may have been king with the power of life and death over those in his authority but that was only so because God gave him that authority. It is only the unflinching trust and faith in GOD that He is in perfect control of our lives and circumstances that can help us keep our head high in troublesome times. Daniel understood that it is GOD who is in control of the times and events in history (Daniel 2:21). He reveals the deep and secret things. He who has wisdom and power, gave wisdom to Daniel and revealed to him what was asked of Him. God still reveals Himself today in Christ to those who trust Him (Colossians 1:16). Daniel lived by faith and cried out for mercy, and so should we.
Q3. Read James 2:17-26, Daniel 2:16. (3a) In what ways do you see the statement ‘faith without works’ lived out here? (3b)Daniel, Abraham, Rahab, etc. allowed what they knew about God to prompt their action. Let participants share how we, like them can act out our trust in God even when the odds are against us? (3c) What are possible reasons why we would be unable to live out our faith like Daniel did? What can we do about it?
Prayer: Father Lord, help my unbelief, help me to trust you only against all odds and through every trial. Help me to search the scripture daily with zeal. Help me to know that I am of God for I have overcome the world and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world, Amen.