Lessons From The Book Of Daniel

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!" Philippians 3:12 - 4:1

Dears brothers and sisters of Boon Church - in the midst of the last final weeks that I have left to wrap up the spring semester of 2009: I urge you all to press on and finish strong. This may be hard to relate to if you are no longer in school - but the sentiment remains the same: just as Paul urged those in Philippians about his faith in order to press on towards the goal that Christ has called him heavenward, I insist the same to you.

In the things that I have learned this past semester - innumerable and nothing but one of God's many blessings - I would like to share a couple of things I have shared from my bible study on the book of Daniel. Unpacking this book of the Old Testament has filled me with a wealth of things I had never seen before. But one lasting thing I have learned about this book is the sovereignty of God in our lives.

The book of Daniel is something I remember back to my Sunday school days, yet the only thing I could ever remember were all the funny names: like king Nebuchadnezzar, or Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego. But thankfully through the study of this book from the fall semester until now, it has been nothing but a blessing to pick apart this book chapter by chapter to pick apart all the things God brought Daniel through.

This is a book of a fiery furnace, lions, dreams, and double prophecies. The challenges that Daniel endured only built up a credit to his faith - they helped prove that he was trustworthy and steadfast enough to be blessed strange dreams. Of these dreams - Daniel was graced the the knowledge to interpret them. Something that did not always come with great ease.

Daniel 7:15-16 and 28 demonstrate Daniels' distress in trying to interpret these dreams.
Daniel 7:15-16 "I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this."
Daniel 7:28 "This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself."

After various dreams and visions, Daniel is given the interpretive power to distinguish what all of it means - and after picking apart this book chapter by chapter - it was surely no easy feat. It even distressed Daniel - and sometimes, even he did not know what it meant. The humility of Daniel floored me:

Daniel 7:28 - "I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding."

In the book of Daniel, I learned about double prophecies: (forgive me if I give a wrong interpretation) one that has already happened, and one that has yet to happen. It's strange that after reading through Daniel, all I could help but think and point out was how similar it felt to the end times of Revelation. Surprisingly, I wasn't too far off in my assumption - since the book of Daniel of course foreshadows what will occur in the end times.

A couple of things that I've learned through Daniel: I have learned not to dwell on the the unknown. Wait with something to hope for because God is a master of details; God keeps his promises. When we pray: God hears immediately, and even demonic forces can delay answers from God (Daniel 10)

All of which in the course of this study of Daniel has been nothing but amazing to learn just how God works and has a perfect plan. I hope in sharing what I've learned from Daniel will also serve as the same encouragement that I have received from this book. It has given me the focus that I lack because through Daniel's visions and dreams, he was granted with a small glimpse into a window of events that even he did not live to see. A testament to his faithfulness - and to mine as well, I hope that the things I've learned in Daniel and can share with you will also encourage you as well.

-Stephanie Yee