Daniel chapter 4: verse 18 (NIV)
“This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
Given what King Nebuchadnezzar had just done to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, it would be easy for some people to see him as a hopeless case, He’s now seen two miraculous moves of God, and he still hasn’t changed his ways. But God is still at work. The king still recognises in Daniel the same amounting from God that he had seen before. Daniel continued to serve the king in spite of how he behaved, and he never compromised his own faith. In time Nebuchadnezzar would come under the hand of God Himself. But it was the evidence of the lives lived by Daniel and his friends that was the means of chipping away at the king’s own beliefs.
We can too easily give up on someone who seems to not be responding to what God is doing. But we need to remember that God is the one doing the work, and His timing is perfect. It’s not our role to nag, criticise or push if we feel that someone is not responding as they should. In the meantime, all we can, and should, do is keep leading the life God expects us to live. We don’t know how much impact the Holy Spirit working in our own lives is having on someone else. But if we are obedient, they will see it, and in time if we let God do His work, they will acknowledge it too.
Dear Lord,
What a difference Daniel and His friends made to King Nebuchadnezzar by being obedient and steadfast to You, no matter what. Help me to be the same, and not be quick to write anyone off as a hopeless case. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.