While standing in line at the store, I love scanning the random impulse buys around me. Fruity candy, energy drinks, flavored chapsticks, Pokemon cards, and magazines are all neatly stacked onto shelves, ready for impromptu purchases. Recently, the line was dragging slowly, so I snatched a magazine off the rack. This pamphlet-sized publication was smooshed between a periodical with a smiling picture of Oprah and a tabloid pushing a conspiracy theory about aliens. The cover was plastered with an impressive picture of space that caught my eye. I thought, “I like space, so this may be cool.” It wasn’t. Turns out this thing had nothing to do with space at all. It was a horoscope. Are you familiar with these things? I thumbed through an absurd article that offered relationship advice, warnings about the future, and life hacks— all based on the stars.
READ: 2:1-23
In the second chapter of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar was haunted by dark dreams that prevented him from sleeping soundly. The nightmares were so disturbing that he assumed they meant something supernatural. Thus, he called on his astrologers and magicians to interpret the dreams for him. Babylon was obsessed with reading the stars for signs of the future and using magic to manipulate the present. Since he assumed this dream had to do with fate, the king put his best horoscope writers on the job. After hours of contemplation and enchantment, they come to an unfortunate conclusion, “No one on earth can interpret the dream… your demand is impossible” (Daniel 2:10-11). Nebuchadnezzar, the evil emperor, demanded the magicians and astrologers murdered. I know, VeggieTales left that scene out.
Daniel faced an impossible situation, so he looked to the one who makes the impossible possible. He didn’t need to read the stars because he knew the creator of them. He pressed into prayer and worship, begging for God to grant him guidance. Then, God came through. Daniel interpreted the king’s dream with the supernatural resource of God’s wisdom. Daniel relied on God with trust, faith, and patience. His expectation was that God would come through for him. His expectation led to celebration as God granted him guidance to translate the dream. Daniel is a flawless example of faith. He had faith that God would come through. He had faith despite scary circumstances. His whole life was fueled by faith.
I am sure some of you are facing impossible circumstances. Your family’s fate may be uncertain. You may feel in desperate need of an answer. You may not know what’s next for you. Your relationships may be stuck in a rut. You may have a seemingly impossible decision to make. When you face impossible circumstances, look to the example of Daniel. Live a life fueled by faith. Faith frees us up to expect things far beyond logical expectation or even explanation. Why? Because “with God all things are possible” (Matt 19:26). Next time you face an impossible situation, remember that God specializes in the impossible. Your faith will make you fearless. He’s ready to exceed your expectations.