As I started this project on Biblical Prophecy I had some reservations about this project, but God has opened my mind to so many things about prophecy and God’s plan for mankind. God has opened up scripture that I would never have looked at much less studied as I have. The next verse in Daniel starts with God’s prophecy to the king and what it means. I want to answer a question that I had as I started this project. Why study prophecy?
The power of God’s prophetic Word gives us information upon which to build a life of hope and certainty. Instead of living in fear as the nations of this world compete with one another for power and supremacy, we can trust in the plan of God as revealed through the Bible. To start looking at why we study prophecy, there are three things that we need to look at.
Since God will be awake all night, you can sleep. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we often take our problems to bed with us. We lie down and think of the global threats engulfing society. But God wants to give His beloved children sleep, which means we can cultivate quiet, trusting minds and hearts that can rest in His sovereign control. “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:2).
You may not know what the future holds, but you know who holds the future. Almighty God knows what we cannot know. He knows what is in the darkness. He knows what is in the future. And He knows us and cares for us and watches over us day and night. He alone can solve our problems, guide our paths, shape our futures, and accomplish His decrees by His invincible power. “He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.” (Daniel 2:22)
Since the whole world is in God’s hands, your world is in God’s hands. “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” (Isaiah 40:12) If Almighty God can hold the entire world in His hands, He can also control all that is going on in the governments of the world, as the book of Daniel shows us. Is it not reasonable, then, to trust Him with your world? When you feel overwhelmed with your problems and daily pressures, remember that God can handle those, too. You can leave them in His mighty and gracious hands.
More on why to study prophecy in the next lesson.