Wisdom and power are His

Wisdom and power are His

Scripture: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.” Daniel 2:20-23

Observation: In the second chapter of Daniel, the lives of the four friends are seriously threatened when the king decides to execute all the wise men of Babylon because he has a disturbing dream that greatly troubles him and he cannot even remember it. As all of us should do in our time of trouble, the four friends got together and prayed to God for help. As the Psalmist says “God is our refuge and our strength, and ever present help in times of trouble.”

God, in His mercy and for His glory, answered their prayers, and gave Daniel the dream and its interpretation and they were all saved. Daniel himself was greatly rewarded for this and his friends too were promoted as a result. God turned a treacherous life-threatening situation into one that greatly profited Daniel and his three friends. We are reminded not to look with human eyes at a situation but continue trusting in God who is able in an instant to turn something bad into something incredibly good.

The prayer of Daniel here is also highly instructive. Firstly, Daniel starts off with praise to the name of God forever and ever. God introduced Himself to the Israelites as Yahweh, meaning “I am”. God always is. Past, present, future – God transcends all of it. He is forever. We should study the names of God and declare it, and praise His name. We praise You, Jehovah-Rapha, for You, O Lord, are my great Healer. Bless You, Jehovah-Shalom for You, O Lord, are my peace.

Secondly, Daniel declares that wisdom and power belongs to God, and that He is in control of everything. Times and seasons change according to God’s will, and every king is only there by the will of God.

Thirdly, Daniel acknowledges that it is God who gives men wisdom and knowledge. The Scripture warns us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. All that we have, our wisdom, our knowledge, our abilities, our place in society are all given by God. There is no room for us to be proud but instead to be thankful for all He has given us.

Finally, Daniel thanks God for answering their prayers by revealing the dream of the King and its interpretation.

Application: Whenever we may be in trouble, turn to God for help in prayer. He listen to those who humble themselves before Him. Remind ourselves that all governments, all trends, all things in all creation are according to God’s will. We may think any particular situation is hopeless, but we must remind ourselves that all is in God’s hands. According to His wisdom and power, He can change any situation in an instant. Study Daniel’s prayer as a model prayer we can follow. For example,

·      Praise the names of God that we can think of and its attributes, for example:-

Yahweh – I am

Adonai-Jehovah -- The Lord our Sovereign

El-Elyon -- The Lord Most High

El-Olam -- The Everlasting God

El-Shaddai -- The God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His People

Jehovah-Elohim -- The Eternal Creator

Jehovah-Jireh -- The Lord our Provider
Jehovah-Nissi -- The Lord our Banner
Jehovah-Ropheka -- The Lord our Healer
Jehovah-Shalom -- The Lord our Peace
Jehovah-Tsidkenu -- The Lord our Righteousness
Jehovah-Mekaddishkem -- The Lord our Sanctifier
Jehovah-Sabaoth -- The Lord of Hosts
Jehovah-Shammah -- The Lord is Present
Jehovah-Rohi -- The Lord our Shepherd
Jehovah-Hoseenu -- The Lord our Maker
Jehovah-Eloheenu -- The Lord our God

·      Declare that God is in control of everything

·      Thank God for His wisdom and power

·      Thank God for answered prayers

Prayer: Lord, I praise You that You are the Great I AM, You are forever, from everlasting to everlasting. I praise You that You are Jehovah Tsidneku. You are my righteousness. I bless You for You are Jehovah-Mekaddishkem, my great Sanctifier. I honor You as Jehovah Nissi, my banner. You hold all things in Your hands O Lord. You are in control of all situations. I will ever trust in You. Thank You, O Lord, for Your great wisdom and power, and I thank You, Lord for listening to my prayers. May Your name be praised forever. In Jesus name, Amen.