2024_01_29 Insight Post- Kim Feld
This week’s reading- Ezekiel 14:14, Ezekiel 14:20, Ezekiel 28:3, Daniel 1-6
Wisdom is something I pray for regularly. I connect with many people and situations daily that require more wisdom and insight than I could ever have on my own, so I have made it a habit to ask God for it. I found this verse in James long ago and felt encouraged to ask God for what I needed. Let’s take a look at James 1:5 (NLT):
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Wisdom is used several times throughout Daniel chapters one through six to describe Daniel. But Daniel consistently points to God as the source of all wisdom. In chapter two, God gives Daniel the ability to interpret the king’s dream after Daniel had prayed and asked God for His help. The answered prayer leads Daniel to praise:
19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king”
(Daniel 2:19-23, NIV).
Daniel’s wisdom is definitely a character trait I want to emulate. Still, the two verses from Ezekiel in our reading (14:14, 20) tell us of something that I also desire to be true of me. These verses in Ezekiel list Daniel, among others, as being righteous. A simple definition of righteous means to be in right standing with God, which means being right with God according to God’s standard. Being “right with God” encompasses every area of my life – my thoughts, attitudes, actions, and behaviors. That’s a tall order, but reading Daniel’s incredible story inspires me. God blesses those entirely devoted to Him and who seek to live according to His standard above all others. I hope you will join me in keeping these things in mind as we enter this week. We get to decide how we will respond to all the situations that will come our way. Will we follow God’s standard or our own?
Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach