“But there is a God in heaven….”
Daniel 2:28
There are certain statements of fact which have the power to change everything. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” “It’s a boy!”, or “It’s a girl!” “Congratulations, you are hired!”, or alternatively “You’re fired!”
These statements of fact, when first heard, will change all future reality for us. When we hear them, we KNOW this to be true. In Daniel 2:28, Daniel has just told King Nebuchadnezzar that he is incapable, by his own strength, of fulfilling the king’s request to recount and interpret his dream. But, Daniel’s inability was not the end of the story. With great flourish, Daniel pronounced a fact which had the power to change everything. “There is a God in heaven.” And with that statement of fact, or more importantly because of the reality behind the statement, everything about Daniel’s future changed.
Take another look at the words at the top of the page. For those who claim to be Christians, there is no controversy in them. Yet I ask you, has this statement of fact changed everything for you? Have you actually wrestled with the truth that there is a God in heaven, and does this truth have any practical relevance in your day to day life?
I ask these questions because for all too many of us, especially in the Bible Belt, it is easy for us to mention the name of Jesus when convenient, yet live lives which bear no mark of gospel transformation. With that in mind, we have to ask ourselves if we truly believe in the God of the Bible. Do we truly believe in Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners?
Brothers and sisters, all Christians will struggle with sin. You know this experientially. I know this experientially. Biblically, there is NO place for earthly perfectionism in the gospel of grace. The work of transformation is a work begun, empowered by, and completed through the work of the Holy Spirit. (Phil 1:6) So…I don’t ask if you are perfect. The God of heaven certainly knows that I am not. But, when the God of heaven looks upon me, he sees the righteousness of Christ, which is given to me only by his grace, and received only by faith.
Do you KNOW this truth yourself? Maybe you still wrestle with the truth claim Daniel uttered…that there is a God in heaven? If so, can I tell you another life changing fact? The God of heaven sent his Son. In Galatians 4:4-7, there is another statement of fact which has the power to change everything when we truly KNOW it. There we read:
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
Dear friend, do you claim the name of Christ? Allow these words to sink in and bless your soul. They have the power to change everything. Do you wrestle with faith? Allow these words to sink in. KNOW them, and they will bless your soul. They have the power to change everything. Praise the Lord!