Seek Revelation

Daniel 2

The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.” (Daniel 2:47)

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER PRAYED each morning that God would reveal to him the secrets of the peanut and other plants, flowers, soils, and weeds. Why? So he might help “put more food in the bellies of the hungry, more clothing on the backs of the naked, and better shelter over the heads of the homeless.”^a He believed these things would never be known unless God revealed the mysteries of his creation. God honored Carver’s request by showing him hundreds of unusual uses for the peanut and other crops that changed the face of agriculture in a troubling time. God gave insight in order to demonstrate his goodness to this world.

That’s one example of what happens when God’s people open their hearts to his wisdom. Daniel sought God through prayer in a time of crisis, and God’s answers led to many lives being spared and the Babylonian king being drawn toward him. Likewise, while Joseph was imprisoned in Egypt, he trusted God to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and by doing so prepared both Egyptians and Israelites for a devastating famine. The pattern is clear: When humanity is in trouble, God has solutions, and he often reveals them through his people.

Seek that kind of revelation—not the revelation of some new truth, but the revelation of what God is doing in the moment and how he is applying his Word to the situations going on around you. Offer divine solutions to earthly problems. Spend enough face time with God that you can sense what he is doing, receive inspiration from him, and see how he wants to meet the needs of the world and display his goodness. Let go of limiting thoughts like God only blesses the godly. Follow the example of Daniel, who blessed a hostile, pagan king with wisdom from above. Bless the “foreign land” you live in, wherever it is and however hostile it may be. Ask God what he wants you to offer the world, and give it freely.

{Lord, there is no problem on earth that you do not already have a solution for. Make me a catalyst for bringing answers into real lives and circumstances. Let my relationship with you bless society in tangible, concrete ways. Amen.