“He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. At this, Daniel went in to see the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.” ~Daniel 2:15-16
The temperature of the atmosphere was well over 200 degrees, and the local gravity was only 1/6th of that of the earth. At only 38 years of age, he had proven himself to be worthy of this defining moment. But with a lot of life ahead of him, one could naturally assume that his stress level was through the roof. What might happen next? What if this happens? What if that happens? Could this be the final moments of my life?
As he climbed down the ladder of the lunar space module, these thoughts undoubtedly weighed heavily on him, these “what-ifs.” It probably didn’t help matters knowing that over 250,000 miles away, his wife and children were witnessing in real-time what very well could’ve been his final moments playing out on a live television simulcast.
Then came the words that will forever live in the heart of a grateful nation:
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Before passing away back in 2012, Neil shared his thoughts about that defining moment and his iconic statement that revived such an inspirational attitude for a nation during a very uncertain time.
“I thought, ‘Well, when I step off, it’s just going to be a little step’. But then I thought about all those 400,000 people that had given me the opportunity to make that step and thought, ‘It’s going to be a big something for all those folks and, indeed, a lot of others’. Even so, I have never thought that I picked a particularly enlightening statement. It was a very simple statement.”
So simple, yet so, so profound.
Long before Neil Armstrong would plant the American flag on the surface of the moon, a young man would plant God in his heart and faithfully face a similar do-or-die moment.
King Nebuchadnezzar was an evil and ruthless leader of Babylon. But he had a dream one night that caused him tremendous anxiety. He became so worried that he summoned the wisest of his staff – the magicians, seers and astrologers – to report to him and tell him what it meant. But this was no ordinary dream. There would be no playing of games, no guesswork. So he demanded that they not only interpret the meaning of his dream, but that they would confirm the details of the dream he had before interpreting it to him. Otherwise, they would be torn limb from limb and their houses destroyed.
Of course, the visionaries standing before him knew that this was well above their pay grade. “Our king, what you are asking of us is impossible, for only the gods not living among humans could possibly do this.” He reiterated once again their only option, but yet again they explained that what the king wanted was impossible for them.
The Bible then says that Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree, demanding that all of the wise men of the city be put to death.
Daniel and his three buddies (Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah) were considered part of that elite group of wise men who served under the king. After being taken captive a few years earlier from their homes in Israel, they were found to be the best of the best. But now, word had gotten to them that because no one could accurately describe and interpret the king’s dream – they too would be put to death. The Text then says that Daniel asked Nebuchadnezzar’s officer if he could make an appointment to visit the king, so that he could give him the answers he was desperately searching for.
Daniel then told his buddies of his plan, and informed each of them to pray relentlessly to God, asking for two things: His mercy, and for Him to reveal the mystery of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to him.
Faith always precedes a solution. You see, Daniel inserted himself in this incredibly stressful situation, not to test God, but rather to act on in his faith of God. Daniel’s only real responsibility in this situation was to simply act in faith. But here’s the rub: in doing so, Daniel’s act of faith put him in the direct path of harm and death, and what does he do? He allows God to prove Himself. He knows that his God is the only god. Daniel wasn’t trying to manufacture some sort of miracle, he was simply acting in faith – something he had been taught to do his entire life by his parents.
Our natural tendency is to rely on our own knowledge, our own skills and abilities. Therefore, often times we find ourselves making comfortable choices that don’t jeopardize our reputations or put us at some sort of risk. “I’ll interview for that more promising job later on, after I have some money saved up and things improve.” Or “I’ll go back to college and finish my degree once the kids get a little older.” These are very common responses I hear all the time, ones that on the surface seem to make perfectly good sense. But the reality is that we often struggle in these moments to trust God and simply act on faith.
Today’s question is this: If we never act on our faith in God, how can we possibly see firsthand of His works and blessings for us?
Not all of us are born with the courage and wisdom of a Neil Armstrong or a Daniel. But each of us has the ability to read God’s Word, to pray for His understanding and provision, and learn how to equip ourselves with a deep and meaningful faith in Him.
Sometimes all it takes is one small step of faith.
Former Blackout Artist 