AN UNFORGETTABLE DANIEL FOR A FORGOTTEN DREAM

Ref: Pastor Dr Kumuyi

Text: Daniel 2:14-30

Remember that Nebuchadnezzar had had a dream that he forgot, and he wanted all those magicians and wise men in Babylon to reveal and give him the interpretation of that forgotten dream. That was why when they could not give him the revelation and interpretation because he was frightened, ‘a frightened man is a fearful man’. So, as a result, he gave the decree that all the wise men should be killed in Babylon including Daniel and the three Hebrew children. “Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation” (Daniel 2:14-16). But seeing the boldness and confidence in Daniel, he went to the king and respectfully spoke with him. This shows that this man was saved. He had calmness and peace of mind. The peace Daniel had was

(i) Personal peace;

(ii) Perceived peace;

(iii) Penetrating and Persuasive peace; and

(iv) Perfect peace. So the question is when a situation arises in our lives,

do we still have this personal, perceived, perfect and penetrating peace with the Lord, that we are not jolted nor fearful when things happened? This was a forgotten dream with their lives on the line if they fail to reveal and interpret the dream to the king of Babylon. 

1. DECISIVE PRAYER FOR THE DREAM’S RECOVERY

          Daniel 2:16-19

The dream was lost, but now we had believers that prayed a decisive prayer for the recovery of that lost dream. “Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:” (Daniel 2:16-20).  It was not by merit but the mercies of God, the works of our hands will not grant us answers to prayer, it is by the mercy of God. 

• Calm Posture of Fearlessness despite the Declared Decree – Daniel 2:14-16;

Psalms 56:4,10-13; 118:6-7; Hebrews 13:6. “In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living? (Psalms 56:4,10-13). When you have fear in prayer, you will forget the promises of God, you will internally shake, doubting your prayers, and you will not stay calm nor talk convincingly. But when you stay your mind on God Who has saved and sanctified, then you can come boldly to pray unto Him. Daniel knew that the decree has been signed, yet he had the confidence and boldness to stand before the king. “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:6). We have come to this side of the Cross, that we can boldly say that the Lord is our Helper and you will not fear. You have to make up your mind that the word of the Lord is true, and the plan of the enemy will come to nought in Jesus Name. 

• Common Pursuit with Friends with Deeper Devotion – Daniel 2:17-18; Deuteronomy 32:30; Matthew 18:18-19; John 15:7,14-16. Daniel was going to tell his friends, the three Hebrew children, to be united in prayer. And they were of the same faith, character, devotion, and conviction. If you have a prayer partner, you must be of the same mind, experience, faith, perception of the word of God and conviction. “Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon” (Daniel 2:17-18). We should be knowledgeable of the challenges and things going on in our surroundings so that we can pray about them effectively. These three friends were ignorant even including Daniel. They knew that the dream was from God, so they pleaded that they will not perish and that the Lord will reveal the dream unto them. “How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?” (Deuteronomy 32:30). When we unite together in prayer of the same mind, conviction, faith, and devotion. The effort of united skill, purpose, and prayer, that we can put ten thousand to flight. “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:18-19). It will be done as we agree together. Even if the fire is burning outside, and the storm is raging, you just remain calm like Daniel, and the Lord will answer our prayers in Jesus Name. 

• Confident Prayer of Faith under a Deadly Decree – Daniel 2:17-19; James 1:6; Mark 11:22,24; Isaiah 65:24. See the confident prayer that they prayed. They were not doubting the prayers. “That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven” (Daniel 2:18-19). The secret was revealed to Daniel. And if you have this same confidence as Daniel through the grace of God in you and victory over sin, then you go to the Lord to pray, and the Lord will answer. “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” (James 1:6). It is the prayer of faith that God will answer. “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:22,24). Have faith in the God that has promised and will never fail. You must always understand what the Lord is saying unto you. And when you know this, then you will have the proper answer. And the Lord will answer our prayers. “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24). He knows our desire and what is in our hearts. And He will answer our prayers. 

2.  DELIGHT SOME PRAISE FOR DIVINE REVELATION

Daniel 2:20-23

As they were praying, the Lord gave them answers to their prayer immediately. And if they could have an answer to their prayer before the Cross, how much more for us now, that we have Christ as our Lord, when you pray in the Name of Jesus tonight and rest of your life, the Lord will answer. “Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter” (Daniel 2:20-23). Daniel was not in a hurry to answer Nebuchadnezzar. He gave glory to the Lord and was not in hurry to give the king the revelation. We must take time to bless and appreciate the Lord when He answers our prayers, and not be in a rush to go out of His presence. 

• Perpetual Praise to God for His Wisdom and Might – Daniel 2:20; 1 Kings 8:56; Romans 11:33; Revelations 7:12. This is the reason why we are praising God perpetually because He makes a promise and fulfils His promises as well, “Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant” (1 Kings 8:56).  

• Present Praise to God for His Will over Mankind – Daniel 2:21; Jeremiah 27:57; Psalms 75:6-7; Daniel 5:18-20. All the kings ruling and reigning, it is the Lord that places them there, this is why as children of God we are not perplexed, no worries nor anxiety in your heart, one of God’s choices will be there. God is in charge. Don’t get into a discussion with those who don’t know God, remain calm and peaceful, God is in charge. God will do His best for our country. “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me” (Jeremiah 27:5). God created all things and gives us His choice. No sleepless nights, no anxiety no discussion that will jolt us. “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalms 76:6-7). 

• Personal praise to God for His Gift of Wisdom and Might – Daniel 2:22-23; Psalms 119:164-165; Matthew 11:25-27; John 11:41-44. “He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter” (Daniel 2:2223). Daniel praises the Lord with his friends because God Who can reveal secrets alone has revealed the secret unto them. When it comes to your time, the Lord will reveal the secret to you, and no secret will give you high blood pressure or sleepless nights. “Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments. Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them” (Psalms 119:164-165). Nothing will jolt or gives you sleepless nights. God will reveal the secret unto you. “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him” (Matthew 11:25-27). Pray that when your time comes, there will be no embracing silence from heaven in Jesus Name. 

3.  DYNAMIC PRESENTATION WITHOUT ANY DOUBTFUL RESERVATION

          Daniel 2:24-30

After they got the answer, they came to Nebuchadnezzar, dynamic and sure in their presentation in detail to the King that Nebuchadnezzar could remember that dream. They were sure. For Daniel, there was no doubtful reservation, he knew that this was the truth that he has received from the Lord. “Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation” (Daniel 2:24). If your life could be a source of preservation for other people. That your passion, skill, talents, and gift of your life will be a preservative for those that should have died. 

• The Fearless Daniel before the Frightened Warrior-King – Daniel 2:24-27; 5:1213,17,22-23; Luke 21:24,26; Acts 18:9-11. “Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;” (Daniel 2:25-27). Pray that at a time when the world has confusion, they will find you and that you can supply the answer and pray concerning the situation. ‘It is what you have and knows that will bring you before the king’. “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken” (Luke 21:24,26). The dream was about the Gentile worlds, it stretches from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the Medo-Persian, Grecian until the time of the Romans. All those kingdoms before Christ came, until the Second Coming when He crushed and crashed all those kingdoms, that was the dream that span unto the time of Christ’s Second Coming. And yet Daniel came in without any fear or timidity before the king. “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:9-11). The same thing the Lord is telling us, that whatever may dissuade, we should not be afraid. And you will live, and preach the gospel without fear or fright anytime and anywhere. 

• The Faithful Declaration on Future Worsening Kingdoms – Daniel 2:28-29; Jeremiah 1:7-10; 2 Timothy 3:13-14; 1 Timothy 4:1,6,16. He is going to tell the dream, about the kingdoms of the earth before Christ will come. The kingdom that will be going from bad to worse, from worse to worse and worst. “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass” (Daniel 2:28-29). We should not be ashamed that there is a God in heaven that we serve, not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, to declare that gospel everywhere, for that is the power of God. The confidence and declaration that Daniel made fearlessly and courageously without being afraid of Nebuchadnezzar is the kind of courage He wants us to have as we go to declare the word of God unto the people. “But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:7-10). Their faces will show you what they are planning or thinking, so don’t be afraid of their faces. The Lord does not want to be timid and fearful before the people He sends us to. He loves them and does not want them to perish. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:1,6,16). That you are to put the brethren in remembrance of the word of God, and the teachings of Christ. This is what the Lord is calling us to, and we do this without any fear or timidity before the Lord. ‘Live courageously, with conviction and without compromise’. 

• The Firm Decree of the Foremost Wise King – Daniel 2:30; 4:17,24; Proverbs 8:29-30; Psalms 2:6-12. God is Foremost, Eternal, and Unchanging. He is still there when one powerful king passes away or is deposed. The same God at the time of Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Herod, He is still the same God on the Throne, remains the Same. And He has His decree, and that of the Eternal God will stand. “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:” (Daniel 4:17,24). The Most High rules, and whosoever He puts there, He is still in charge and has a decree that goes beyond that of any man. “When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;” (Proverbs 8:29-30).  God Almighty has the final say about the dominion and kingdoms of this world. He has the final decree on any life, community, nation, and world. ‘The decree of the Almighty God supersedes any other decree on the earth’. There is One that is higher than the highest on earth. His Nature will come into you, and you will live a life that glorifies God on earth, and when He comes to take you home, you will go home eternally with Him in Jesus Name.