The Value of a Converted Heart

Daniel chapter four is the exciting conclusion to God’s relentless pursuit of Nebechadnezzar. First we meet him as the conqueror, bringing the strongest of the captives back to serve him. Next we meet him as the confused, turning to Daniel’s God for an answer to his lost dream. And now we finally meet him as the converted.

You and I both know that that paragraph barely captures the lengths God went to in order to reach Nebechadnezzar. But it isn’t until chapter four that God finally gets all of Nebechadnezzar’s attention. And it took the loss of his mind to acknowledge the living God as the one true God.

At the close of the chapter Nebechadnezzar regains his sanity when he looks up turns his life over to God. It is the act of putting God on the throne of his heart, displacing all other gods, that puts his mind back together.

Isn’t it the same with us? When our hearts are converted, we put God as first in our priority list. And after that, other things slip into their proper place. The whirl of news and terror and political staging dims as we remember that God is in control over all of this. The mess of this world takes its proper perspective when we realize that God will see us through. When our hearts recall, that God will set everything back in their proper order. And that until that day of the second coming, He will walk with us through this mess.

The Courage of Daniel

Two words spring to mind to describe Daniel: committed and courageous. Committed to His God, and courageous in the face of challenges. Case in point: Taken before the king Daniel is confronted with the question, can you do what this man says? Can you tell the dream and its interpretation?

What does Daniel do? You can find it in Daniel 2:27-28. In essence Daniel says, “No one can.” What a dangerous answer to a homicidal king. Then he goes on, “But the God of heaven can!” So deep is his commitment to God that Daniel must remind the king, even before they begin delving into the dream, that this comes from the one true God. He doesn’t want Nebuchadnezzar to attribute this wisdom to his training, to an idol or to an earthly advisor. This is something only the God of heaven can reveal.

How will you courageously point people to God this week? Choose to pray over your meal before you partake. Choose to offer to pray with a co-worker experiencing a difficult challenge in life. Choose to honor the Sabbath in spite of the many other demands on your time. Courageously point people to the God you worship and know personally.

Praises to the God of Heaven

How do you handle uncertain times? Some people run away to a cocoon and pretend nothing is happening. Other people prepare by stocking the shelves and ordering a generator. Others choose to turn to God for answers. In Daniel chapter two we find four year men headed for death. The king’s advisors failed him, so he ordered their death. Daniel, Hananiah, Mischael, and Azariah are among the condemned. Their response: to turn to God for help and then rest in the knowledge He is in control.

Read over this story this week, and marvel at their faith. Daniel quietly asks for time to find an answer for the king. Then a fervent prayer meeting takes place. And after the last amen, they all lie down and sleep. It amazes me the peace, to be able to sleep! Sleep is often illusive in stressful situations, but these four trusted God and so they rested. And as they rested, God sent Daniel a dream and its interpretation.

When Daniel wakes up and realizes he is saved, he breaks out in a beautiful praise to God. He extols God for changing the time and the seasons. He praises God for revealing deep and secret things. This is the God they place their faith in. This is the God you can put your faith in also.

Stand for God

At an early age James White determined to be financially independent. He wanted to choose his future, and be free to follow God’s calling. God’s calling was to be a preacher. The paycheck didn’t cover all his family’s needs, so he looked for a side job. Finding a wealthy farmer in need of help in the fields, he signed up. Now this wasn’t in the time where you climb into a large tractor and plowed through the fields. The tool for the job didn’t involve any kind of engine other than human strength and vigor. The tool was a long stick with a handle and a sharp blade. The scythe required focus and strength to wield properly without inflicting any damage on those around or the operator.

The other hired workers quickly learned that James was a preacher. They resented his presence. Putting their heads together, a plan hatched to make things difficult. Their goal, to make things so hard for James that he would quit. So they asked James to lead the pack as they mowed across the field. James agreed to lead and proceeded to pick up his scythe cutting a wide swath as he went. And with every swing of the scythe James was sending up a prayer to heaven for physical strength. The group quickly found they couldn’t keep up; they cut narrower and narrower rows. Finally, they admitted defeat and shortly confessed their plan to James.

Does this story inspire your memories to pull up the file on answered prayer? What story can you tell of where God answered your prayer to stand up for Him and witness? Spend time with God this week remembering where you chose to stand for God. Then spend time in thanksgiving for God’s strength that made that stand possible.

You See Me…

In my devotional time I came to these words, “You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.” After reading them I took one of those holy pauses to digest what I read. God knows it all, completely, inside and outside. He knows all the actions I take in a day, whether those actions bring me closer to Him or propel me further away.

You can read these words too in Psalm 139. Read the whole Psalm and be amazed at all the details that God recognizes, even knowing all the days of our lives before even one came to be. At first take this may seem the stuff of nightmares, to think of a God who knows and follows every detail. But pause for a moment and realize God knows all this, and loves you completely. One commentator gives this call for reflection based on Psalm 139, “Sensing that God knows all this about you, what do you think would be His evaluation of your present life? Knowing that He knows all about you, yet loves tremendously, honestly face your present.”

Find time this week in your time with God to evaluate your life through God’s eyes. Is His love calling you to change? Is there something in your relationship to God that can improve? Is there a human relationship that needs your attention? Commit prayerfully in the presence of this loving God to grow in the area you identified in the previous exercise.

God’s Hand in My History

Think back a few years into your history. Now look for God’s hand in your past. What difficult situations did God lead you to and then lead you through? Are there places where you felt like you labored in vain? In my life I can remember many instances where I poured my heart and soul into a project, only to see it end short of my goal. For all my work and energy the result could only be labeled a failure. If this sounds familiar to you too, then turn to Isaiah 49:4.

You will find these words: “But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all.” You and I are not the first to feel these feelings, or to lament the loss of a dream. Isaiah felt the same way, and he poured his life, energy and whole being into his calling. But do not stay in this place, keep reading and find hope. “Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”

We will not always see the results of our labors in this world. Our job is not to find the results, but to know where those rewards are. Our reward is with God. Our job is to be true to our calling, to exercise our spiritual gifts consistently, and to trust Him with what the final outcome will be.

Monuments to God's Goodness

There is a monument that stands next to the Jordan river, you can find its description in Joshua 4. It is simple in construction, and it bears no plaque. Just twelve stones piled one upon the other. But it is a reminder of a profound and powerful event. This is to remind the children of Israel of when God parted the waters of the Jordan. 

Do you remember the story? The children of Israel are closing in on the promised land, all that stands between them is the swollen Jordan river. A spring river that contains all of the run off from the surrounding hills, a river that is angry and dangerous. And God chose to part those waters. He chose to make a path for the Israelites to walk across into the promised land, on dry ground.

This monument by the Jordan river is a reminder of God’s power on that day, and also of His willingness to intervene in miraculous ways. Has God done the same for you? Where did God provide an answer that you failed to dream up in all your brainstorming sessions? Spend time today remembering where God intervened in your life. Walk with the eyes of memory through your past and mark the hand of God in your life. Consider creating a written record to serve as a monument and reminder of God’s providence in your life.