Daniel 4:35 “…all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’”

This statement was made by King Nebuchadnezzar after he recovered from his time of madness and at the time his reason was restored to him. You have to take that experience into account when you read the account or you might be misled about the nature of God. Everything Nebuchadnezzar says is true but it leaves out the grace of God that brought about the king’s restoration. Nebuchadnezzar had to learn about the sovereignty of God the hard way. God humbled the prideful king and the king knew it was the right thing to do. He says in verse 37, “…his works are right and his ways are just…”

So much of the world is caught up in their pride that they have forgotten the God that made their progress possible. Look at me and what I’ve done is the watchword of our time. “Who needs God?” they ask themselves and each other. In their pride they removed Him from their thoughts by excluding Him from their schools, government, and lives. Their fate would be obvious to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel told the king, “…break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Task for Today: Read our passage out loud. Let the harsh reality sink in. God is in charge of the world and that includes you. You can learn that the hard way or you can find grace in the sight of the Lord, like Noah. Today practice righteousness and show mercy and do not live in the false world of thinking you are in charge of anything.