Daniel 2:14-18 – God is the solution to all of life's issues

Frustrated with the inability of his wise men to tell him his dream and give him its meaning, Nebuchadnezzar gave vent to his anger. His fury was triggered when His council of wise men told him that his demands were impossible with man. They told him that only the divine could do what he had demanded. So, in his unreasonable fury, he ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be exterminated. And Daniel and his three friends who were elevated to this class of the wise were searched. They were destined for the gallows.

Arioch, Nebuchadnezzar’s commander, was assigned to carry out the extermination. When he came to Daniel, he met with a calm and collected response. Unlike many who were probably panicky, the latter’s response to the horrifying news was a composed and objective one. With discretion and discernment, he asked Arioch, “For what reason was the king so urgent?” He knew that to have the answer for such a weighty matter, time was needed.

When informed of the matter, Daniel immediately went and sought the king for time to provide the answer to his mystery. And for such a weighty matter, Daniel was aware that he couldn’t do it alone without the help of God. When he arrived home, probably hurriedly, he informed his three friends so that they could seek the compassion of God to help them solve the mystery. Their lives were at stake, only God could intervene, and prayer was the means to move the hand of God.

Here we see two contrasting ways to respond to life’s mysteries and know how to deal with them. One, we can behave like Nebuchadnezzar, go into a tirade, and seek answers from men. Or we can do what Daniel did, calmly trust God, and go to Him for answers.

No matter how wise a human can be, there is a limit to his or her capacity. But with God, no one can plumb the depth of His knowledge. He is the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing God. The wisdom to navigate life through our unpredictable world is with Him. And He is just a prayer away. Make prayer a habit and not just an occasional happenstance.