The Pressure Is On - Daniel

“I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

Daniel 2:23

Pressure. Everyone has it and has to deal with it, but not everyone handles it in the same way.

Someone once used a saturated sponge to illustrate a man’s response to pressure. When you squeeze it, you know immediately what it holds on the inside. The prophet Daniel once got “squeezed,” and what came out of him under pressure saved his life.

One night Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had a strange dream. Naturally, he wanted to know what it meant, so he called in his advisors and demanded that they first describe his dream and then tell him what it meant—or else. When they couldn’t do either, he flew into a rage and ordered that they all be executed.

Since Daniel and his friends were among the king’s advisors, that decree included them.

Using some God-given wisdom and discretion, Daniel calmly talked Arioch, the commander of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard, into delaying the executions. Then he asked the king directly if he could take a crack at interpreting the royal dream.

The pressure was on. Daniel needed answers—and soon!

Daniel went home and asked his friends to pray for divine revelation. That very night, Daniel received a vision that clearly explained the king’s dream. The next day, he appeared before Nebuchadnezzar—perhaps hours before he and his friends were to die—and told him his dream and its meaning.

The Lord gave Daniel exactly what he needed to save his life, his friends’ lives, and the lives of other wise men in Babylon . . . and not a minute too soon! When Daniel was squeezed, out came his faith in the God who does his best work under pressure.

When the pressure is on, you have a place to go for comfort, wisdom, answers, and directions: directly to your heavenly Father’s throne room. There you receive from his hand everything you need to deal with any life situations that have you in a squeeze.