Category: The Book of Daniel

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Take some time today to journal and reflect on the following questions:

In what ways have you seen God at work within you this week? Within your family? Within others you may interact with? 

In what ways have you resisted God’s work within you this week? 

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Daniel 5:29 Daniel …was proclaimed the third highest ruler…

With what we know from the Book of Daniel as well as history and archaeology, Daniel lived and served as part of the Babylonian government for decades. It’s likely that he served in some kind of official capacity for at least 5 or 6 different rulers throughout his lifetime. 

Remember, Daniel and others from Israel were living in exile during this time. Daniel was working in some kind of official capacity for an empire that has overthrown the people of God. Yet despite the circumstances, Daniel remained faithful to God and seemingly found favor in the eyes of each of the kings. (As we’ll see in Daniel 6, Daniel continues to find favor in the eyes of the next king as well.) 

The life of Daniel is one that reveals that we are called to be fruitful wherever we are planted. God has placed you in your family, your school, your place of employment, and more. Do not pour energy into trying to influence people outside your circle. Instead, focus your energies on being fruitful in the places in which God has planted you. 

READING & PRAYERS:

     JOHN 15:1-17, COLOSSIANS 1:10, MATTHEW 7:17-20 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: Have you considered that you may be spending energy, trying to be fruitful in areas God has not called you to? What would it look like for you, today, to be fruitful exactly where you are?

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: As you pray today, spend an equal amount of time listening to God as you spend talking to God. Perhaps listen even longer. Consider making this a part of your daily practices so you can discern God’s voice more clearly.

Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I confess there are many situations and/or people throughout my daily life in which I want to be in control. Today is a reminder that You are in control, not me. Help me to be fruitful right where I am. To reflect Your love onto the world around me. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Daniel 5:26-28 God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end…you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up…your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

If you were to talk with a financial advisor today, one thing they would encourage you to do is to have a “rainy day” fund for unknown expenses. The logic is pretty simple – your car will break down, or an appliance will break down, or something else will happen. When it does, you’ll want to be prepared by having some funds tucked away. 

In Daniel Chapter 5, the young son of a king – who happens to have been placed in charge to administrate the entire Empire – is living a carefree life. This young man, Belshazzar, is ruling without any thought or concern of seeing the big picture. In fact, the king of Babylon, Belshazzar’s father, left him in charge because he went out into the kingdom to try to re-secure some of their trade routes that the Persian king had stolen.

But Belshazzar has zero concern that anything will happen. His rule is not marked by wisdom, but by lavish parties. His lack of preparedness will cost him not only the Empire, but his life. 

READING & PRAYERS:

     PROVERBS 2:6, EPHESIANS 5:15-16, JAMES 1:5 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: There’s a difference between being worried about what could happen and being prepared. Daniel was prepared to be used by God. What is one way you think God may be preparing you for His purposes? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Practice breath prayers throughout the day. Breathe in with the first part of the prayer, then exhale with the second. Some examples include: “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner.” “Speak Lord, I am listening.” “You are the potter, I am the clay.” “Peace. Be still.”

Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, today I simply pray that You will provide me the wisdom to be prepared for Your purposes. Help me to see where I may be spending time and energy that falls outside of Your purposes for my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Daniel 5:5 Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace…

Take a few minutes to think about a time when you heard or felt God speaking to you. Perhaps you were on a long prayer walk, a retreat, or maybe even a funeral service for a lost loved one. Wherever it may have been, you distinctly remember experiencing the presence of God. 

Now, consider that the very same presence of God is available to you right now, in this very moment. In fact, it is always available to you. 

While you may have never seen God communicate with you by having the form of a human hand write on a wall (as in Daniel 5) the story shows that God revealed His presence to a group of people who wanted nothing to do with Him or His ways. Despite this, God still revealed Himself. 

Consider this: If God revealed Himself to Belshazzar, how much more could He be revealing Himself to you as His child? The Scriptures teach that nothing can separate you from the love of God – which is His presence, because God is love.

READING & PRAYERS:

     DANIEL 5:1-31, ROMANS 8:38-39 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: In what ways may God be inviting you to experience His presence in your life today? Even in the mundane?

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: As you pray today, spend an equal amount of time listening to God as you spend talking to God. Perhaps listen even longer. Consider making this a part of your daily practices so you can discern God’s voice more clearly.

Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I confess that some days it is easy for me to live my life without giving many thoughts to You. I focus on my to-do list, my errands, my job, and my social media feed more than I think about You, my God. Today is a great reminder that even though I have things to do, You are with me through it all. I can experience your presence anywhere anytime. Thank you for this gift! Amen. 

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Psalm 119:1 Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD.

Have you ever met somebody who seemed to live with an ongoing level of peace and contentment no matter what circumstances came their way? Maybe they had a Bible with poor binding because they read it so often. Or maybe they had given up trying to control life’s circumstances and instead just rested in God’s grace. Or maybe it was a bit of both. 

In Daniel Chapter 5, we can infer that Daniel was this kind of person. All in all, about 65-66 years have passed since the Babylonian Empire overthrew the nation of Israel. This means that Daniel is now much older, yet he has continued to serve the Babylonian government in an official capacity. He is now observing a young, inexperienced, prideful son of a king make terrible decisions about the Empire. And in his old age, the thought that his entire life has been spent away from his homeland probably hasn’t been lost on him. Despite these circumstances, his relationship with God and his peace of mind has remained strong. 

READING & PRAYERS:

     DANIEL 5:1-31 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: On a scale of 1-10, how well have you rested in God’s grace over the past week? In what ways may God be inviting you to rest in Him today? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Write down a list of a few things that help you experience peace and contentment in life. Then consider creating a plan that leads to you saying “yes” to these things more regularly and “no” to others. 

Take a Step: This week, consider utilizing the One Minute Pause app at least twice daily to begin practicing being with God and resting in His presence. The app is free, and is available on iPhone and Android devices. See pauseapp.com for details.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I sometimes have no idea what it would look like for me to really rest. I feel like I’m being pulled in so many different directions it’s difficult for me to even think about resting, let alone actually experiencing it. Help me, today, to set aside my worry and anxiety, and to rest in Your presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Take some time today to journal and reflect on the following questions:

In what ways have you seen God at work within you this week? Within your family? Within others you may interact with? 

In what ways have you resisted God’s work within you this week? 

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Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.

The first four chapters of Daniel have shown that Daniel was an extremely humble man who had a strong desire for the name of God be known to everybody – including the king.

But Daniel didn’t just bless those who persecuted him. He went further by being a blessing to those who persecuted him. We don’t see Daniel pray God’s blessing on Nebuchadnezzar and then walk away. What we see is Daniel making himself available to serve the king. We see Daniel sharing the interpretation of the king’s dreams. We even see Daniel’s love for the king when he said “I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you!” (Daniel 4:19)

As you enter into your day, consider what it would look like for you to be a blessing in the lives of others today. Not just pray a short prayer of blessing over others, but to open up and allow God to work through you in a profound way – to be a blessing to all you interact with throughout the day. 

READING & PRAYERS:

     ROMANS 12:9-21 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: How may God be inviting you to be a blessing in the lives of others today? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: As you pray today, spend an equal amount of time listening to God as you spend talking to God. Perhaps listen even longer. Consider making this a part of your daily practices so you can discern God’s voice more clearly.

Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I confess it’s difficult for me to live with a desire to pray a blessing over others, especially those who look, think, live, believe, and/or behave very differently than myself. Today’s reading makes this even more difficult – to be a blessing to all others. May the path that Jesus forged be made clear, and may I walk it with confidence today so that I can be a blessing to all I interact with. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Daniel 4:37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”

When you think about it, king Nebuchadnezzar had a very difficult job. Yes, he was the leader of a kingdom which had overthrown many other nations. But this only increased his level of responsibility. (As Spiderman knows, with great power comes great responsibility.) 

With so many people from different nations and religions all having a part in his kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar almost certainly had to make political decisions that would appeal to the masses. This meant he would acknowledge the greatness of many gods in order to earn favor with the people. 

It is remarkable then, that Nebuchadnezzar’s story in the book of Daniel ends with a statement about the one true God. Some of his dreams had been interpreted by God, people had refused to bow to him instead of their God, and he spent a period of time losing his mind due to trying to make his own name great. His story ends by making great the name of God.

READING & PRAYERS:

     DANIEL 4:28-37 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: Slowly read Daniel 4:34-35. In what ways has God shown Himself to be great in your life? Take a few minutes to write out a similar poem to Daniel 4:34-35 about the greatness of God in your own life.

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Write down a list of a few things that help you experience peace and contentment in life. Then consider creating a plan that leads to you saying “yes” to these things more regularly and “no” to others. 

Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, while I may not know how my story will end, I pray that it ends in a similar way to king Nebuchadnezzar. That whatever may happen, my closing words in this life are about making Your name great to all people and nations. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Daniel 4:30 ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’

Ancient Babylon was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It was, for all intents and purposes, the most beautiful and ornate city in the world. When king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and called Daniel in, Daniel would’ve walked through a stunningly beautiful city. Without a doubt, the throne room of the king was a sight to behold. 

But here, we see the king making his own name great instead of making the name of God great. Four times he acknowledges just how wonderful he is. 

But if you pay careful attention to the text in Daniel 4, you’ll discover that “The Most High rules” or “Heaven rules” is also mentioned four times (Daniel 4:17, 4:25, 4:26, 4:32). King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire was successful in every way. But God reminded him that He and He alone is ultimately in charge. He and He alone builds kingdoms and tears down kingdoms. He and He alone Rules over all. 

 

READING & PRAYERS:

     DANIEL 4:1-33 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: What are two or three ways you live with a similar mindset to king Nebuchadnezzar – you desire to make your own name great? Confess these areas of your life to God, knowing that He and He alone Rules these areas of your life. 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Practice breath prayers throughout the day. Breathe in with the first part of the prayer, then exhale with the second. Some examples include: “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner.” “Speak Lord, I am listening.” “You are the potter, I am the clay.” “Peace. Be still.”

Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I know that far too often I live to prove myself or to make myself look good to others. Root this out of me so that I may better reflect Your love and grace onto the world around me. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Daniel 4:19b “I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you!”

Who is somebody in your life who sees the world very differently than you? Perhaps they look, think, live, believe, and/or sometimes behave in ways that just don’t make sense?

In Daniel 4, we see Daniel once again doing his best to help out the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. This is the king who overthrew Israel and took the people of Israel into a foreign land. This is the king who changed the names of Daniel and his friends. This is the king who had a system in place to educate Daniel and his friends in a completely different culture. 

As you read the story, you may think that Daniel and his friends are going to do everything they can to defy the evil Babylonians. But that’s not the attitude they have. Here in Daniel 4:19, we get a good look at Daniel’s heart. Does king Nebuchadnezzar look, think, live, believe and/or behave very differently than Daniel and his friends? Definitely! But Daniel has a huge heart for the king. He has a desire to see the king come to know the true God.  

READING & PRAYERS:

     DANIEL 4:1-19 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: What is your heart’s attitude toward those who look, think, live, believe, and/or behave very differently from you? What is one way God may be inviting you to grow in having a heart for them as Daniel does king Nebuchadnezzar? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: As you pray today, spend an equal amount of time listening to God as you spend talking to God. Perhaps listen even longer. Consider making this a part of your daily practices so you can discern God’s voice more clearly.

Take a Step: This week, consider utilizing the One Minute Pause app at least twice daily to begin practicing being with God and resting in His presence. The app is free, and is available on iPhone and Android devices. See pauseapp.com for details.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as Your Word says, Create a clean heart and steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Help me to see others as you see them. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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