On Letting God Be God

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/iGpfi)

“And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes unto Heaven and my understanding returned unto me and I blessed the Most High and I praised and honored Him that lives forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion and His Kingdom is from generation to generation:  And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing.  And He does according to His Will in the Army of Heaven—and none can stay His Hand or say unto Him, ‘What are you doing’?”

Daniel 4:34-35

When we realize Who He is and how great He is, all we can do is bow down before Him and say “Yes, Lord.”

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the NeoBabylonian Empire, who ruled from 605-562 B.C., was anything but a follower of the God of Abraham.  He captured the city of Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple and carried the people of Judah into captivity.  He worshipped the Babylonian god, Marduke, and built an impressive temple for him in the city of Babylon.

Yet, something happened to him that really affected him and led him to this most interesting and beautiful Truth in today’s Manna.

First, he had a dream that troubled him very much and none of his “magicians, astrologers and sorcerers could interpret it” (Dan. 2:1-10).  This infuriated the king and he ordered all of them to be destroyed (2:12-13).

Yet, there arose one of the young, Hebrew men named Daniel, whom God used to reveal the dream (2:14-45).  His correct interpretation of the dream led to his promotion of the lad and his confession that “Your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a Revealer of secrets” (2:46-47).

Later on, this same God delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace, causing Nebuchadnezzar to cry “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire and they have no hurt—and the form of the Fourth is like the Son of God” (3:25).  No wonder the “trusting trio” was promoted to a prominent position by the king (3:26-30).

Then, the king had another vision and once again Daniel correctly interpreted it (4:4-27).  And, this time the prophecy declared his being driven from the throne and becoming like a wild animal in the field, “eating grass even as an oxen does” (vv.24-26).  While musing on Daniel’s words, God spoke to him from Heaven, affirming their validity and impending fulfillment (vv.31-33).

After that time of utter humiliation, Nebuchadnezzar’s senses came back to him and in his brokenness he uttered today’s Manna.  He “blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him Who lives forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion.”  He then declared “He does according to His Will. . .and none can stay His Hand or say unto Him, ‘What are you doing’?”  Or, another way to put it is, “None of us can call God into accountability.  We must let God be God.”  How we need to remember this, Pilgrim, is this day-and-age of “self-made men” and cries of “It’s all about me”—for nothing could be farther from the Truth.  Surrender to Him today.  Rest in Him and what He’s promised, for that’s what pleases Him (Heb. 11:6).

By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated June 18, 2010