“To Daniel the King said, “Truly your God is the God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries; that is why you were able to reveal this mystery.”
Daniel 2:47 (NAB)
It was 605 B.C., when Daniel and his three companions, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were forced from their homes in Jerusalem, and taken as captives to Babylon. They were young men, but never saw their families again, being forced to adapt to a new land, culture, laws and people who did not share their faith, much less their dietary laws. This new life was thrust upon the four of them, causing them to adjust to a new phase, which I refer to as plan B.
The four of them prayed together, and had many spiritual gifts, especially Daniel, who had an extraordinary gift of prophesy. It eventually caused the Babylonians to take notice of them, and they were added to a special advisory group called “Wise men of the King”. It was a group mostly made up of astrologers, sorcerers, magicians and self proclaimed prophets.
Though they didn’t practice the magic arts of their colleagues, Daniel and his friends were fervent in observing their own faith in one true God. They prayed three times a day and avoided the foods which were forbidden according to their faith customs. The royal court approved of their request to receive a diet of vegetables only, and yet they still had little control over their own lives. While trying to adjust to captivity in Babylon, they missed the carefree days of plan A, their life in Jerusalem.
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had an impulsive and volatile personality. One day, he awoke from a disturbing dream and summoned his own Chaldean prophets and seers, to obtain the interpretation. The tricky part is that he demanded that they first tell him what he dreamed. When no one could tell him what he dreamed, he lost his temper and ordered all the wise men to be executed.
The eccentric King caused a widespread panic among the wise men who tried reasoning with him. Despite their pleading, an execution was set in place for every wise man, prophet and seer in the kingdom, unless someone could tell the King what he dreamed.
Daniel and his companions began praying. They implored God’s mercy to reveal the King’s dream to them. That night Daniel received a vision from God, describing every detail of the King’s dream, which included prophecies of future kingdoms to come. To make a long story shorter, Daniel presented the exact dream in detail, to the King, including its meaning. The King was amazed at Daniel’s gifts and abilities, and he cancelled the mass execution. He proclaimed the God of Daniel to be the “God of gods, Lord of kings, and the revealer of mysteries.”
God revealed the dream to Daniel, and saved the lives of all the wise men. Daniel had gifts of prophesy and wisdom, and yet the greatest gift God gave him was three faithful prayer partners. He and his friends found their purpose in plan B, and they became an influence for good, shining light on the one true God who they served.
Life leads us through so many twists and turns, some being situations that are difficult, unfamiliar, and lonely, which we gave no consent to and had no control over. Plan A may fall apart when things don’t happen as we hoped and planned. We long for our carefree days in Jerusalem, while trying to adjust to plan B in Babylon. The God of gods is still with us, and this story reveals that there’s a beautiful mystery hidden in plan B.
The Lords sends us the gift of prayer partners, as a sign of His support in our darkest moments. As we follow Daniel’s example to pray and implore His mercy, God reveals Himself to us through people that He brings into our lives, who are sent for the right support at the right moment. He also uses us right where we are, in plan B, to shine God’s light to others. We learn how our gifts can help others in new ways in Babylon. It becomes a place of new opportunities, and new hope as God is reworking everything for the good of each soul and for His glory.
Lord, give us the grace to live out our plan B, trusting in the divine purpose you have for us, and help us to shine where we are, and reveal to others your love, peace and joy. Amen
