As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon bed, what should come to pass hereafter, and He that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. Daniel 2:29
Did you ever read an account of the Battle of Lundy’s Lane? This important battle in the War of 1812 (the battle itself was fought in July of 1814) halted the American advance into the Niagara peninsula, and effectively ended the American hopes of annexing that part of Canada. It was a significant Canadian victory, but you would not get that impression if you were to read the American history accounts of the battle. Tactically, the battle was a draw, but it depleted the American resources so they would have to withdraw. American records declare it an American victory followed by a strategic withdrawal. The different accounts show that human history can sometimes be confusing, unlike the history that is recorded in advance in Scriptures such as in Daniel’s record.
Our text is Daniel’s message to Nebuchadnezzar that the king has received an outline of coming world events. With Daniel’s revelation of the king’s dream, the outline for coming ages is revealed. This blueprint for the future could well have been drafted and hung on the walls of kings and conquerors down through the centuries. History has followed the blueprint carefully, even though Daniel’s words have been discarded or ignored by men. But there has been no excuse for them to not know what was to happen, just as there is no excuse for us today to ignore or reject God’s purpose for this world.
We can have confidence in events that are going to occur according to Scripture, although it is apparent that the leaders and powers of this world do not. We can be sure, for example, that the dire warnings of the global warming theorists are nonsense. We can also be sure that Iran is not going to unleash an atomic bomb on Jerusalem or otherwise carry out their promise to exterminate Israel. These things won’t and can’t happen, so we should not concern ourselves with them. We have no need to fret or campaign or argue about the impossible, if we are confident the Bible is true. Our responsibility is to conduct our Lord’s business until He returns for us. If we apply ourselves to that, we won’t be involving ourselves in matters that don’t matter to us.
God has revealed His program; in light of this, let us accept His revelation and appreciate His provision for our future. -Jim MacIntosh
I do appreciate my Lord’s provision for my future, although, sometimes I tend to forget this! As a rule, I tend to panic when I don’t have enough of what I need daily. But then I do remember eventually and I do ask Him in prayer to provide for me and my family! And I am so thankful to my Lord!