Hopelessness or Hope?
Daniel 2:14-23 NIV
When Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king's officer, "Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?" Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.
Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:
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"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. 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, O God of my fathers: 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 was in a terrifying position. Nebuchadnezzar had just ordered him and all of the other wise men of Babylon to be put to death. Put yourself in Daniel's shoes and imagine the panic that Daniel could have felt at the thought of facing this angry, powerful man! But Daniel didn't panic. Instead, he stood boldly before the king and asked for time to find the answer to the king's question. When granted the time, Daniel went immediately and found Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and the four of them got down on their knees and prayed for God's help. Instead of panic, these four young men turned to the power of prayer. Instead of giving in to the hopelessness of their situation, they found hope in their prayers to the God of Glory! And they were saved through their trust in God.
There is power in prayer. There is even more power in numbers of people praying. The more who pray in agreement about a situation, the more powerful the prayer. It has been said that prayer is the tiny spark that tickles the nerve that moves the hand of God. God answers prayer. Every prayer. Sometimes He says no. Sometimes He says wait. And sometimes He says, "Okay, let's get with the program!"
Are you in a terrifying situation? Pray! And seek out your believing friends and ask them to pray with you. Are you seeking wisdom in how to andle a situation? Pray! And seek out your believing friends and ask them to pray with you. Are you faced with impossible odds? Pray! And seek out your believing friends and ask them to pray with you. Do you have a spouse or a child or a relative or a friend who has turned away from God? Pray! And seek out your believing friends and ask them to pray with you. No matter what you face in your life, pray! And then seek out your believing friends and ask them to pray with you.
We'll say it again. God answers every prayer. When you and your believing friends pray, remember this and remember also that He answers all prayers in accordance with His will and with His eternal purpose in mind. Pray with anticipation and hope. Pray with acceptance that the method He uses to answer your prayer may not be exactly what you had in mind. Throw off the hopelessness of human logic and pray with the hope that God gives you through His infinite wisdom and righteousness and grace. And when He answers you, don't forget to thank Him and give Him glory for the great things He has done!
"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there I am with them." Matthew 18:18-20 NIV
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