Quote for the Day

“…so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign…”

Today's Prayer

This week pray that God will show you His power and His will. Pray that God will make you to see His sovereign will and rule over your life.

Daniel 4:10-18

Daniel 4:10-18 (NIV)10 These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.13 “In the visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. 14 He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. ” ‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.17 ” ‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.’18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Message

What a dream. A tree grows to the ends of the earth and soon all the earth is feeding and living under this one tree. The next line is important: Nebuchadnezzar says, “…An angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven,” is about to deliver a message (see NASB). Seems like he feels it would be important to listen to this messenger. What is the message? The tree is about to get cut down! And what does this messenger say is the reason for the decision to cut down the tree? Very simply we see in verse 17 that the reason is:” ‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.’ “Nebuchadnezzar does not understand the meaning, and he calls Daniel to the task of interpretation. It appears that Nebuchadnezzar has the wisdom to know it is important because the messenger has said this was all done so that the living, including the king, would know who is in charge. It appears that King Nebuchadnezzar still is under the belief that he is in charge of not only his own life but all the people he rules over as king. God Almighty, the Most High has a slightly different view of things.What do you think? Who is in charge of your life and the events that surround it?