Today’s reading takes us into the heart of Daniel’s visions of kingdoms, strange beasts, rams and goats, big horns and little horns, and profane tyrants. It all looks perplexing to Daniel, so he prays for clarity.
As I read through and thought about these chapters, the sovereignty of God over all the nations, kings, and peoples of the earth, along with seasons and times, stood out to me. In one instance, Gabriel, the angel, came to Daniel and interpreted one of the visions, which we have the advantage of looking back and seeing its fulfillment with stunning precision. For example, we see the prediction that Alexander the Great would defeat and divide the Mido-Persian empire among his four generals. The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power. (Daniel 8:20–22, NKJV) Wow!
One of Daniel’s striking actions in these chapters is the amount of time he spends in prayer. He even prays for things and situations that are pre-determined by God. Why—what for? So a question arises in my mind, and maybe yours too: if the movement of nations and peoples and of times and seasons are under the sovereign control of God, should we pray about them? Should we pray about the election in our nation? After all, the Bible says that God sets up one leader, takes down another, and even controls how long they get to rule—notice how Paul explains this in the New Testament. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. (Acts 17:26, NLT)
The answer is yes! We absolutely should pray for and participate in what God has already determined to be, for it is an expression of our faith in His unfailing Word, which teaches us He is sovereign! It is also an act of obedience to the command of Jesus to His followers to pray, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9–10, ESV) God’s sovereignty is an opportunity to express our faith and obedience in and to our God!
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Daniel 7-9.