A God in Heaven
In the manual: Come, Follow Me lesson 46, “There Is No Other God That Can Deliver,” on Gospel Library
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King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him. He demanded that his wise men tell him both the dream and its meaning, or die (Daniel 2:1–5).
Read Together
No one could do it. “There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter,” the wise men said (Daniel 2:10). The king ordered every wise man in Babylon killed, and the order included Daniel and his friends (Daniel 2:12–13).
17Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 18That 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. 19Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
28But 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;
What It Teaches
Daniel asked the king for time (verse 16). Then he went home and asked his three friends to pray with him for mercy (verses 17 and 18). He had lived close to the Lord for years, so in a crisis he knew where to go and whom to take with him.
That night the secret was revealed “in a night vision” (verse 19). Before Daniel went to the king, he gave thanks. “I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers” (verse 23).
In front of the king, Daniel took no credit. “There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets” (verse 28). He said the answer came for the king’s sake and owed nothing to any wisdom of his own (verse 30).
Revelation usually comes to people who are already praying and obeying. Daniel had kept the Lord’s law since chapter 1, when “God gave them knowledge” the first time (Daniel 1:17). His preparation started long before the king’s dream.
Talk About It
When our family faces a hard problem, where do we turn first? How could we pray together the way Daniel and his friends did?
Take to Church
Daniel gave God the credit in front of the king. When the Lord answers our prayers, we can tell others where the answer came from.