Have you ever been faced with surprising and challenging news? How did you respond? Today in Daniel 2 we see the story of Daniel and his interpretation of the king’s dream. The catch with this story is that the king would not tell anyone what his dream was, and he demanded the wise men not only tell him the interpretation but the dream itself!

The wise men complained that no one could do as the king asked! This response enraged the king and he commanded that all the wise men be killed.

When the guards went out to find and kill Daniel as one of the wise men, notice how Daniel responds in verse 14,

“Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon”

Daniel responded to the news of his imminent death with “prudence” and “discretion”! This is a reference to “wisdom and tact.” Wood explains that the word “discretion” “speaks of appropriateness, suitability. Daniel replied wisely and in good taste, in keeping with the occasion and importance of the visitors.”

Instead of hysteria, anger, or complaining, Daniel displayed great courage and kept himself under control. He responded wisely and in good taste and then sought the Lord. As a result of prayer, God revealed the dream to Daniel. The result was that the king was overwhelmed at the greatness of Daniel’s God!

Father, how easy it is to respond to challenging news in a way that displays my lack of faith in you. If I truly believed in your sovereignty, I could respond in crisis like Daniel with wisdom and appropriateness because of my trust in you. Help me to remember the example of Daniel the next time challenges come my way in life. May I be unruffled at challenges because of my trust in you and your will for my life.

Following Jesus with you,

Jeff