"CHANGING TIMES: ynot2worry@all"
Daniel 2:17-24
Main Idea: Changing times are in the hands of the God who controls all change.
Introduction: By now you are feeling one of three things about this year: One, you are sick of hearing about the Y2K problem—the glitch in computer systems that will cause computers to think its 1900 instead of 2000 on January 1, 2000 and the prospect of the new millennium--the beginning of a new 1000 years. Two, you have suddenly become alarmed and have begun to panic. Or, three, you are beginning to wonder if a few extra cans of Spam might not be a bad idea to have around for New Year’s Day next year.
Personally, until recently I had relegated all the concern about the Y2K problem as something that people who just didn’t have enough to do were concerned with. Then I discovered that the Red Cross had posted a list of things to prepare for on their web site. I received a notice from my bank that tried to be convincing that they had solved the problem but was not absolutely persuasive. I also read of problems that occurred on January 1, 1999 with everything from heart defibrillators, airports and radio stations.
The problem with computers and their function is an issue with our technological culture. However, many people have tied that issue to the end of this millennium and the beginning of a new one. The extremists of all religions but especially some Christian groups are using this as a way to create a hysteria that is only going to get worse.
How do we respond? I recommend a response that is rational and faithful. A rational mind realizes that if Jesus was born as most scholars believe in the year 4 BC then the millennium actually began two years ago. A rational mind realizes that clocks and calendars are an invention of humans and that actually the millennium begins at 12:00 January 1, 2001. A rational mind prepares for a possible inconvenience as you would for an Arkansas ice storm—milk and bread.
What about a faithful response as time changes? A faithful response is found in Daniel chapter two as Daniel and his friends are faced with death because a mysterious dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had. If no one can interpret the dream without hearing the dream then they will die. Daniel asks God to give him the interpretation of the dream (v. 18) and God answered his prayer (v. 19). Daniel then gives to God a statement of blessing for His response. It’s in this prayer of blessing that we find the ways we as Christians are to face changing times.
How do we respond? Christians face changing times with confidence in God’s control, conviction of God’s direction, and praise for God’s gifts. Changing times such as the ones we face are to be met with the reasons ynot2worry@all!.
Daniel has been asking God to enable him to interpret the dream of the king. The dream was a way God used to show the king about the future, not only of his rule, but also of the succession of kingdoms that would follow. At some point God revealed what all of it meant to Daniel. The explanation came to Daniel in the night while he was awake. God uncovered information and shared that with Daniel. It is critical that we understand and affirm that in changing times that God is a God of revelation not speculation. He wants us to perceive and comprehend what is happening to us or around us.
There are two things that Daniel expresses about God in his prayer. He says that wisdom belongs to God and that power belongs to God. God’s wisdom is His perfect awareness of what’s happening in all His creation at any given moment. God’s power is His ability to accomplish His purposes and carry out His will in the world. The idea is that nothing is hidden from Him and that He is in control of all things.
There are two things people fear normally—the unknown and the uncontrolled. We are becoming through science to be able to discover more of the unknown, hoping that by our knowledge we can control more of what happens to us. The recent storms that occurred in the Midwest were known long before they hit because of our technology. The satellites and computer forecasting programs really worked well to inform the people. That information did not affect the storm’s intensity but it did impact the ability of people to control the results of the storm. Knowing the unknown helped control the uncontrollable.
What changes do you fear that to you are unknown and uncontrolled? Whatever they may be, as a person of faith you must stand in confidence that God is a God who knows the unknown and controls the uncontrolled. A Christian faces changing times with confidence in God’s control.
In this prayer Daniel confronts us with wonderful truth about God that is hard for us to fully understand. He states very emphatically that God and God alone is the one in charge of the changes that will come in the future. This is significant because the Babylonians believed that the astrologers were the king-makers. That’s why Herod was so afraid when the wise men appeared in Jerusalem looking for a new king (Matt. 3:2-3). Daniel reminds us that God and God alone:
-changes times and seasons
-sets up and removes political leadership
-provides understanding to people about things that are seemingly impossible to grasp or comprehend.
The power of these words is truly astounding. Daniel is saying that all the events of human history are at God’s direction. Do not believe that this is the quiet musing of some uninformed mystic. Daniel is no older than 20 and is a prisoner in a foreign country. He has been witness to the most violent destruction of his home and the massacre of his people. Yet he has a conviction that the changes of time are part of God’s direction.
This past November a group of scientists were invited to participate in a program called Edge. The idea was for them to identify the most significant events or inventions that impacted the past 2000 years. Some of them are somewhat obvious but others are not. Things like knitting needles, which allowed people to create clothes for children so they would live through the winter, or hay, which created an opportunity for horses and cattle and in turn people to survive in colder climates. Daniel would remind us that the direction of God’s wisdom was at work in both the end of World War II as well as the microchip. What humans struggle to comprehend God is there exposing light in the darkness.
Where are you in the dark? Where do you feel that the changes you face or that face others are impenetrable to understand? The challenge for us is that we see the changing times as an opportunity to demonstrate a conviction that God is going to open our minds and our eyes to see through the darkness. God is ready to give you and me the direction through changing times.
As Daniel recognizes all that God has done for him by revealing to him what others couldn’t understand, his response is one of praise. He praises God for his gifts, specifically the gifts of wisdom and power. With this statement there is the completion of a process. A person is presented with a problem the can’t solve. They pray to God who possesses the wisdom and power that’s needed. God delivers that to a person that they then become like god. In response what is left is to say "thank you" to God for gifts.
Does God hear your voice respond to His gifts with praise? We are so guilty of taking for granted the simple blessings that He gives us. Imagine what would happen if the sun didn’t come up tomorrow. Henry Potter had some thoughts about such a morning. He wrote, "Six o’clock came and no sign of dawn. At seven o’clock there was still no ray of light. At noon it was as black as midnight and no bird sang. There was only the hoot of the owl and the swoop of the bat. Then came the dark hours of the black afternoon. No one slept that night. Some wept, some wrung their hands in anguish. Every church was thronged to its doors with people on their knees. Thus they remained the whole night through. In the morning millions of eager, tear-wet faces turned toward the east. When the sky began to grow red and the sun rose once more, there was a shout of great joy. Now millions of lips said, ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul.’" What a picture of the way we take things for granted until they are taken from us!
Imagine what it would be like without the knowledge, wisdom and power of God given to you and me. There would be no way to face the changing times at any time. Yet, because of the gift of God’s control and the gift of God’s direction, we can declare our thanks and praise to Him.
Conclusion: At 5:04 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Tuesday, October 17, 1989, the earth shook under the San Francisco Bay area. At Candlestick Park, the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants were getting ready for the first pitch of the World Series. Suddenly the lights flickered. Steel girders holding the upper deck began to sway, and pieces of concrete crumbled down. The announcer told spectators to leave. But when the initial quake ended its roll, fans began shouting, "Play Ball!" Meanwhile, north of the ballpark in the Marina district of San Francisco, houses shifted off crumbling foundations and buildings collapsed. Gas lines exploded and fires spread. Across the Bay in Oakland commuters were crushed to death as a mile-long section of Interstate 880 fell on rush-hour traffic. By 5:05 p.m. the lives of thousands of people were altered forever because of powerful changes beneath the earth’s crust. Simply saying, "Play Ball!" was not enough to counteract such cataclysmic forces.
When we face change and changing times there are many ways to respond. But one thing is impossible: We cannot stay the same. We cannot stop the clock of change. The reason we can’t stop it is because it isn’t our clock—it’s God’s! Changing times are in the hands of the God, who controls all changes.
How will you respond to the changes you face? Let’s respond with confidence, conviction and praise. Changing times? They are in God’s hand. That’s the reason ynot2worry@all.
Sunday, January 10, 1999
Dr. Bruce Tippit, Pastor
First Baptist Church
Jonesboro, Arkansas