We have been in the sermon series titled “Unshakable,” based on the Book of Daniel. In today’s sacred text, we find King Nebuchadnezzar troubled by his dreams. His mind was anxious, so he could not sleep. Nowadays, insomnia or sleeping disorders appear to be universal issues. In the Bible, when God created light on the first day of Creation, He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night” (Genesis 1:5). According to Jesus, the Son of God, “We, that are Jesus and His disciples, along with us as Christ’s followers, must do the works of Him,” that is the Creator God, “as long as it is day” (John 9:5). Once again, according to Jesus, “Night is coming and no one can work” (John 9:4). According to God’s plan, working during the day and resting, including sleeping during the night, is a godly principle. On the seventh day, God rested from all His work and blessed that day for His creatures to rest during that period (Genesis 2:2-3).

Please understand this. In our modern society, working outside of daylight or even overnight and having duties on Sundays are somewhat exceptional cases for the common good of all people. In these days, many people have trouble falling asleep for various reasons. They may toss and turn all night long, worrying about their concerning situations. Some of us, including myself, may even experience this sleeplessness from time to time because we cannot turn our minds off. Some try to consume natural remedies, engage in proper exercise, reduce screen time, read books, and use over-the-counter drugs or sleeping pills. Some even take prescription medication to alleviate this condition. It is quite ironic to admit that this restlessness could happen to anyone, whether they live in a nice home or not, whether they have many resources or not, whether they are knowledgeable or not.

From today’s divine text, we have noticed that this anxiety occurred to King Nebuchadnezzar, who was one of the most powerful people in those days. Friends, have you ever struggled with setting your mind to rest and falling asleep at night? Have you ever had restless nights due to anxious thoughts for your loved ones and yourself? If so, you are in the right place, and you are not alone, since I believe each one of us can relate to this topic.

In the account we have heard, King Nebuchadnezzar invited all his wise servants and said to them: “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means” (Daniel 1:3). However, he did not disclose the content of his visions, so none of his advisory teams could not interpret his dream. They confessed that the king’s request was too difficult, and no human beings could solve it except for the gods (Daniel 2:11). Nebuchadnezzar was very angry due to their lack of godly power, so he warned all the servants to be destroyed. King Nebuchadnezzar might have known that he would need supernatural strength and guidance from supreme spiritual beings. That is why, I believe, he did not share the dream with his advisors, who were only human beings with limited comprehension.

Even uncovering and understanding of the king’s dream was impossible for anyone to handle except for God’s anointed people. We remember the description regarding Daniel and his three friends taken from the Book of Daniel chapter one, verse seventeen: “To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.” Did we notice that Daniel could interpret all types of visions and dreams due to his God-given profound knowledge and understanding?

Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, sought the help of Daniel to discern the king’s visions. When he heard of this, he went to see the king and assured him that he would translate the dream for him. Certainly, that was an impossible task for Daniel to deal with. This morning, I want us to explore how Daniel made the impossible possible and apply these lessons to our spiritual journeys.

Firstly, Daniel prayed to God along with his three friends. After obtaining some time from the king, he urged his friends to plead with him to “the God of heaven” to save them from potential executions and reveal to them the king’s mystery (Daniel 2:18). They also included other king’s servants in their prayers. In many places of the Bible, as the children of God, we are encouraged to pray. According to the Apostle James, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray… Is anyone among you sick. Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord… The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:13-16). Like James, Daniel believed in the power of intercessory prayers and asked his friends to pray with him about the issue which seemed impossible to be solved. At St. Andrew’s Fenelon Falls, we have prayer partners who are willing to pray for those who need God’s mercy and might. Please let an elder and/or me know about prayer requests for those who need our collective prayers.

During that night, God answered the prayer requests Daniel and his friends made when they prayed together. In a vision, God showed Daniel what the king’s dream was and what it meant to the ruler. As stated before, Daniel and his friends spent the entire night praying to God. Even though they were considered well-educated and wise individuals, they did not rely on their own understanding. Instead, they wholeheartedly asked the Lord for His divine wisdom and power. Throughout the night, they prayed to God to provide His supernatural help for them to handle the impossible issue over and over again. The Prophet Jeremiah did a similar thing when he was under difficult circumstances. Later, he emphasized the importance of prayer using God’s invitation: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). Have we ever prayed to God about troubling thoughts for an extended period? Have we ever stayed up all night and prayed for our loved ones and/or ourselves? Prayer can reveal the expression of our faith in God. Do we know the meaning of the following initial called ASK which is the letters A, S, And K? Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

There’s a little fable about a Mr. Jones who dies and goes to heaven… There are many things that God wants to do in our lives, but we miss out on them because we do not ask for them. I wonder today what is in our white boxes tied with red ribbons that could be God’s blessings upon our loved ones and ourselves. Prayer is the key to unlock God’s blessed heavenly warehouse. Once again, friends, have we ever had a time during the course of our lives when things were so overwhelming that we could not sleep? Have there been times when we were so preoccupied with problems that we could not handle them on our own? If so, listen to the Assured Word of God through the Apostle Paul.” Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7).

Secondly, Daniel and his friends praised “the God of heaven” because He had given them “wisdom and power” (Daniel 2:19,20,23). One of the functions of God’s knowledge is to discern “what lies in darkness.” God can reveal “deep and hidden things” no matter how securely they are kept. That is why, with God’s mystical wisdom and power, Daniel could have known the king’s secured dream and have been able to interpret the king’s undisclosed visions. In addition to God’s wisdom in this Old Testament, we can be reminded of the supremacy of God in the New Testament: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). That is why we are to be careful of our thoughts and actions, whether we are alone or with others on our faith journey.

Let us go back to the second point. Daniel was so grateful to God for what He had done for his people and praised the Lord with all his heart. Daniel shows us such a wonderful example of remembering God and honoring the Lord after his prayers were heard. Particularly, Daniel wanted the name of God exalted forever and ever. Like Daniel, God wants us to praise Him after we receive our prayer requests, whether they are small or significant. Have we ever counted how many blessings we have been given by the Lord of our spiritual ancestors? Have we ever recognized the guidance and direction God provided in our darkened situations? God wants us to remember Him as the Provider of all the resources that we have had. God wants us to honor Him as the Giver of all the gifts and talents we have used.

Thirdly, Daniel pointed others to God. After praying and praising the Lord, Daniel began sharing the power and wisdom of God with them. First of all, Daniel introduced the king to God, who was the One who revealed the mysteries of the rulers’ troubling visions. Daniel explained to the king that the reason why the mystery had been revealed to him was not because he had greater wisdom than the other servants, but because God wanted the king to know what the interpretation of the dream meant and to change his mind toward God (Daniel 2:30). In response to Daniel’s presentation, later, King Nebuchadnezzar fell down before Daniel and paid him honor for its revelation. The king also confessed that Daniel’s God was the God of gods and the Lord of kings and the revealer of his mysteries (Daniel 2:46-47). Furthermore, the king placed Daniel in a high position, along with his three friends, to be rulers over the entire province of Babylon (Daniel 2:48-49).

Again, Daniel gave us a beautiful example of sharing the good news with others. What he did was simply point other people to God, who had done miraculous things. I believe that this is one definition of witnessing: simply sharing with others what God has done in our lives and how God has helped us to overcome challenges. Placing God at the forefront of our stories and pointing to God as the source of the blessings we enjoy today.

As we conclude this message with a story of Christ from the Gospel, let us journey across the Sea of Galilee with Jesus and His disciples. One day, they embarked on this voyage, from one side to the other side of the sea. Suddenly, a furious squall arose and mighty waves made them troubled. Everybody in the boat became anxious except for Jesus. While they could not find rest, Jesus was enjoying the boat ride and was even sleeping during that stormy period. After he was awakened by the disciples, he rebuked not only the wind by saying, “Quiet! Be still” but also the disciples by saying “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:38-41). Jesus, both as the Son of God and as a human being like us, encountered many challenges during his earthly pilgrimage. One of them was to take up a cross, in other words, to sacrifice His life for the people to receive God’s salvation. He could not deal with that impossible task on His own so He invited His disciples to the Mount of Olives and asked them to pray with Him. Throughout the whole night, Jesus earnestly asked God for His strength until his sweat was like drops of blood (Luke 22:44). During the time of prayer, an angel of the Lord strengthened Christ to fulfill His God-given ministry. Eventually, Jesus praised the Lord with a loud voice: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Christ also pointed the people who witnessed the crucifixion to God. That is why the Roman centurion professed that Jesus was “truly the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54) and one of the criminals who died beside Christ on the cross asked Him to remember him when Jesus came into His kingdom (Luke 23:42).

Our earthly journey is like traveling by boat from one side of the sea to the other destination, and we encounter many storms during that time. On occasions, we face things we could not overcome by ourselves, and once more, we could find ourselves having trouble sleeping due to those concerning situations like King Nebuchadnezzar. How can we enjoy our journey of faith in those challenges? Like Daniel and Jesus, we need to humbly and honestly pray to God for His help. We need to ask God for His supernatural strength and wisdom. He is the Creator God who knows from the beginning of our adventure, throughout the whole process, and even to the end of the journey. God is willing to reveal His mysterious guidance and direction when we call on Him.

Friends, during this season of Lent, and beyond, let us present again our requests to the Lord while repenting of our lack of faith in God who controls any storms. Let us praise the Lord while remembering who God is and what He has done for us in the past, and anticipating what He is doing at present and what He will do for us in the coming days. Let us also point to the people around us the mighty and merciful acts of God that we have experienced in our faith journey. Furthermore, let us find joy in our spiritual adventure and rest in God’s mighty and merciful arms. Amen!

*In this sermon I have incorporated thoughts from various messages inspired by the text, Daniel 2:1-30, as well as the Unshakable sermon series prepared by Rick Warren.