Dear Daily Message Readers,
READ: Daniel 2:1-30
Daniel 2:19 (NASB) "Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven."
Have you ever experienced an event that seemed extraordinary? Have you ever had an event that shouldn't had happened so perfectly but in the end everything came together? Perhaps you have experienced something like this before. In today's world, we refer to this as a "coincidence". When things seem to come together, you might hear, "Wow! What a coincidence that is!" However, from the Bible we know that such things as coincidences really do not occur. Instead, we believe that God has a plan, and for some reason or another, those events came together at that moment because He has a purpose in it all.
We can be tempted to read "coincidences" in our Christian lives. Rather than exercise the wisdom and minds that God gave us, we try to read the timing of events, seeking signs that reveal God's will. But it is a questionable practice. Even Daniel, a man of great spiritual discernment, realized that only God could know the connections between events. A clear picture of this occurs in Daniel 2. When God gave Daniel the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar's dream (saving the skin of many government officials), Daniel's prayer reflected that understanding (Daniel 2:20-23).
God does reveal His will to us--through His Word, through the guidance of mature Christians, and through rational thought. We don't have to try to glue together disconnected events to find His will. He promises to guide us, and often that guidance is closer than we think.
Jesus said, "When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice" (John 10:4). If we are truly living close to our Savior, then we will no trouble discerning His will for our lives, and it won't just be a mere "coincidence". Faith Lesson: The Bible is clear: God leads through circumstances, not random coincidences.
In Christ,
Darin Smith
READ: Daniel 2:1-30
Daniel 2:19 (NASB) "Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven."
Have you ever experienced an event that seemed extraordinary? Have you ever had an event that shouldn't had happened so perfectly but in the end everything came together? Perhaps you have experienced something like this before. In today's world, we refer to this as a "coincidence". When things seem to come together, you might hear, "Wow! What a coincidence that is!" However, from the Bible we know that such things as coincidences really do not occur. Instead, we believe that God has a plan, and for some reason or another, those events came together at that moment because He has a purpose in it all.
We can be tempted to read "coincidences" in our Christian lives. Rather than exercise the wisdom and minds that God gave us, we try to read the timing of events, seeking signs that reveal God's will. But it is a questionable practice. Even Daniel, a man of great spiritual discernment, realized that only God could know the connections between events. A clear picture of this occurs in Daniel 2. When God gave Daniel the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar's dream (saving the skin of many government officials), Daniel's prayer reflected that understanding (Daniel 2:20-23).
God does reveal His will to us--through His Word, through the guidance of mature Christians, and through rational thought. We don't have to try to glue together disconnected events to find His will. He promises to guide us, and often that guidance is closer than we think.
Jesus said, "When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice" (John 10:4). If we are truly living close to our Savior, then we will no trouble discerning His will for our lives, and it won't just be a mere "coincidence". Faith Lesson: The Bible is clear: God leads through circumstances, not random coincidences.
In Christ,
Darin Smith
