Our God is sovereign over all creation. He wants everyone and everything to submit willfully and joyfully to His rule. But whether they do or not, He is still their ruler.
We desperately need a vision of the Lord, like Isaiah had. We read in Isaiah 6:1 how the prophet went to the temple to pray and he said “I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the temple. He heard the mighty seraphim declare the holiness of God In verse 5, Isaiah declared “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell amid a people of unclean lips. I have seen the King, the Lord of heaven’s armies.”
When we see the Lord, it humbles us and we realize He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is in control.
Right now, in our country and our world, we have leaders who think they are in control and many of them are ignoring the Lord. They are trying to take us in a direction that does not honor the Lord. Please remember — our Lord is in control!
In Daniel, chapter 4, we read about the powerful king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He thought he was in control and that he could ignore the true King of heaven’s armies. He had a dream that troubled him and none of his fortune-tellers, magicians, and enchanters could interpret the dream for him. Someone told him about Daniel, who was a true man of God, so the king sent for him. The king shared the dream with Daniel and I can imagine that Daniel’s heart must have begun to race because he knew the dream was an indictment of Nebuchadnezzar.
But Daniel boldly told the king that he was the tree that would be cut down if he didn’t humble himself and acknowledge “that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.” (vs. 17)
Daniel’s advice was very pointed. In verse 27 we read — “King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.”
Mike Cope, in his book “One Holy Hunger” wrote “Eventually we must all be confronted with the sinfulness of our destructive desire to rule our own lives and take credit where credit isn’t due. There is no such thing as a self-made man. We must all learn, although maybe not so suddenly and dramatically as Nebuchadnezzar, that the King of the universe cannot be rivaled.”
One might think that with a message like Daniel delivered, the king would repent, but after mulling over the message for a couple of days he let his old egotistical nature prevail.
In Daniel 4:29-30 we read “twelve months later he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace Babylon. As he looked out across the city, he said ‘Look at the great city of Babylon! By my mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’” He was not lacking in arrogance. But God saw the king’s heart and heard his words. Immediately, Nebuchadnezzar was driven away from his people into a field where he ate grass like a cow.
In Daniel 4:32 God spoke to him and said, “You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals and eat grass like a cow. Seven periods (years) of time will pass while you live this way until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and He gives them to anyone He chooses.” That is exactly what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. Verse 33 says “… He lived this way, he was drenched with the dew of heaven, his hair was as long as the eagle’s feathers, and his nails were like bird’s claws.”
Who is in control of your life?
Are you doing as you please or have you submitted to the King heaven’s armies?
Nebuchadnezzar finally humbled himself and in verse 34 he said “After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned and I praised and worshipped the Most High and honored the One who lives forever. His rule is everlasting and His kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to Him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and the people of the earth. No one can stop Him or say to Him, “What do you mean by doing these this?” (34-36)
Note: Anyone who grasps the significance of God as King has no choice but to repent and worship Him. He is just. We can entrust our lives to Him without hesitation. We can yield to His powerful grasp.
We may not like what is happening in our nation right now but remember – the God of heaven’s armies is in control.
Blessings, Pastor Leonard
