Strong Under Pressure: Wisdom From the Book of Danielনমুনা

Remember Where You’re From

Some bosses may be challenging to work for, but few are worse than King Nebuchadnezzar. In today’s story, Nebuchadnezzar has an unsettling dream. But instead of talking about his dream, he demands that someone miraculously tell him what happened in the dream and then explain its meaning.

Oh, and if no one can do it, then he’ll kill all his advisors. Seems a little harsh, right?

Daniel hears about the king’s strange and terrifying demands and immediately asks his friends to pray. This tells us a lot about Daniel’s character. We don’t know if he felt the same kind of panic and anxiety most of us would feel in his situation, but we do know that his first instinct was to go to God and ask prayerful friends to do the same.

That night, God reveals the dream and its meaning to Daniel. The following day Daniel shares this revelation with the king. And instead of executing anyone, the king promotes Daniel to a new, high-ranking role.

So what’s the dream? And what does this story have to do with staying strong under pressure?

In today’s Scripture passages, you’ll read how the dream described Babylon, along with the next empire that would overthrow Babylon, and the next empire, and then the next. Finally, all the earthly empires would fall and be replaced by a final kingdom—God’s kingdom, which will last forever.

When Daniel shared the vision and got promoted, it probably felt strange. He had just told the king—his boss—that he would be overthrown and the empire would be destroyed. It’s like walking into your boss’s office, telling them the company will fail, and getting a promotion.

But despite it probably feeling odd to Daniel, it likely also brought clarity and comfort. How? Because this vision contained a simple message—earthly nations come and go, but God’s kingdom is eternal.

Global centers of power and culture change over time. So putting our ultimate hope, worth, and identity in a modern nation, influencer, movement, or political figure isn’t wise. Because, like Babylon, it will eventually fall. But God’s kingdom will remain.

When we say yes to Jesus, we become citizens of heaven. We might live in earthly countries, but they’re only our temporary homes. While on earth, we work for the good of our home country through loving God and others. But we must resist the pressure to find more worth in our earthly nationality than our heavenly allegiance.

If you want to remain strong under pressure, remember where you’re from. Your home is in heaven. So work for the good of all people today, but don’t build your life on the shifting sands of worldly power, nations, or political figures. Instead, build your life around the One who never changes.

Challenge: Consider what being a citizen of heaven means for you. How does it impact how you think about your earthly home and the people around you?

Prayer: Dear God, I give You my full allegiance. Help me to find ways to make my earthly home better every day while remembering that I am a citizen of heaven first. I know that trends, cultural beliefs, and nations come and go, but You remain the same. So please help me to find my identity in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.