TESTIFY!

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

King Nebuchadnezzar,

To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth:

May you prosper greatly!

It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation.

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me. When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me. Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.)

I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. These are the visions I saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.”

“In the visions I saw while lying in bed, I looked, and there before me was a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven. He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field.’”

“‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.’”

“‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone He wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.’”

“This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel 4:1-18

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What do you do when the Lord has blessed your life in some special way?

Do you keep it to yourself or do you do what we find King Nebuchadnezzar doing in the opening verses of Daniel, Chapter 4. Look again at his words here:

King Nebuchadnezzar,

To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth:

May you prosper greatly!

It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation.

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me. When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me. Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.)

I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. These are the visions I saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.”

“In the visions I saw while lying in bed, I looked, and there before me was a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven. He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field.’”

“‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.’”

“‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone He wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.’”

“This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”  Daniel 4:1-18

First, note that the king of Babylon isn’t just limiting his testimony to a select few. No. he is declaring the praises of God to everyone he can, to the “nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth”.

Next, note that he specifies the reasons for his praise, highlighting the qualities of God that have garnered his admiration, qualities which included:

1. Miraculous signs and wonders.

It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.

Remember the dream that tortured Nebuchadnezzar, the one that involved the statue made of different elements (different empires) that was smashed by a rock cut from the mountain (God establishing His eternal kingdom through Jesus). You’ll recall that the only man who was able to interpret the dream was Daniel who told the king right up front that the meaning of the dream came from God and God alone, the very God who Nebuchadnezzar was testifying about, the God who is, was, and will always be the Author of all miraculous signs and wonders.

2. Power and might.

How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders!

As king over the mighty Babylonian empire, Nebuchadnezzar has power but he realized it was nowhere near the might found in the God of Daniel and the Jews, the God of all gods, Lord of all lords, and King of all kings.

3. A kingdom that would never fall.

His kingdom is an eternal kingdom.

The Babylonian empire would soon fall, despite its prowess. The Persians, Greeks, Romans, and every other empire afterwards would experience the same fate for there was only one kingdom that would endure forever and that was the kingdom of God, the kingdom acknowledged by Nebuchadnezzar.

4. A lasting sovereignty over all things.

His dominion endures from generation to generation.

Nebuchadnezzar’s rule was worldly and temporary. The privilege to reign would be but for a moment but the authority found in the Lord Most High would last for eternity, from generation to generation. Think about how many of those generations have come and gone since the Old Testament days of Nebuchadnezzar and then remember that the God who is in control today is the same God who has been in control throughout all the ages past.

He is the God of miraculous signs and wonder.

He is the God of infinite power and might.

He is the God who has established a kingdom that will never fall, a kingdom over which He will always reign supreme, now and forever.

He is the Lord God Almighty the one that we, like Nebuchadnezzar had done, should testify about to all that we see and know.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com