Daniel is getting ready to let King Nebuchadnezzar know the dream that the king had received and what the dream means. But before he does "the reveal" he makes sure the king understands that Daniel's insight and wisdom is not his own, but comes from the Lord.
What type of mysteries might God want to reveal to us today? If God is the same today as He has always been then it makes since that God might want to reveal some mysteries of our day to the people of God. Why is it today that we don't anticipate God to reveal to His followers anything about the mysteries of the world today?
1. Dreams seem so unreliable to us we tend to not trust them as a way God reveals mysteries to people.
2. We expect science and the scientific method to be the only reliable source for revelation of mysteries.
3. We have had too many people say they know mysteries and then are proven wrong, so we shy away from believing God still works in this way. (Example - the world is going to end on January first 2000 was a prediction that didn't stand the test of time)
4. Mysteries revealed seems to "out there" type of religion. That is only for the religious fanatics!
Whatever our reasoning might be, the reality is that much of the Bible must be tossed out or counted as unreliable if we don't deal with God revealing Himself and realities of life through dreams. There are significant times when God revealed Himself to people in dreams - Jacob, Daniel, Mary, Joseph and Peter - just to name a few.
A good way to filter our dreams is to use the Wesleyan Quarderlateral - do our dreams pass the test of:
Scripture is it consistant with the Word of God? Predictions of the end of the world are not consistent with God's word saying "no one knows the times")
Tradition -Does what God reveal to us consistent with how God has revealed Himself in the past to others?
Reason - is it reasonable what God is revealing to us? Many times we see reason as anti-faith, but the reality is our minds are God given and God created.
Experience - is there an authenticity of the experience in your heart? God speaks to the human heart and if we are connected with the Holy Spirit in our hearts we can desern what is real and authentic.
What might God want to reveal to you? What mysteries might He want you to know? Paul found out what decision to make on a missionary journey through a dream. Peter found out God wanted him to visit a Gentile's home through a dream. Are we listening to God speak in all ways He might be trying to communicate to us? Dream on!
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