Scriptures for Mediation
Read Daniel 4:1-37
Questions to Explore
Who had a dream in chapter 4?
Daniel
King Nebuchadnezzar
King Cyrus
What type of tree did the king see in his dream?
A Red Oak Tree
A Pine Tree
A Giant Tree
What would happen to the tree?
It would grow bigger
It would be cut down
It would die
Based on the dream, what would the King eat?
Steak
Seaweed
Grass
How long would the King be like a beast?
Four Seasons
Three Years
Seven Seasons
Four Years
Today’s Prayer Concerns:
Lord, You hate pride, so deliver me from it. You hate pride, but my nature is prone to be prideful. I repent of my prideful ways. I renounce my prideful thoughts. Help me to walk in a spirit of humility and to trust You for security and strength. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Observation Nebuchadnezzar was a man of great pride. He was an unchallenged tyrant, and the most powerful dictator of his time. Nebuchadnezzar was: selfish and self-centered; wicked and wayward; gaudy and godless. He ruled with an iron fist. He answered to no one, or at least that is what he thought. Nebuchadnezzar suffered from an extreme case of pride. The Bible tells us that pride, one of the seven deadly sins, leads to destruction. Pride causes us to believe we are better than others. We become wrongly convinced that we don’t need others, we can’t learn from others, and that others have nothing to offer us. Such was Nebuchadnezzar’s plight. More than just missing the mark, pride seems to be a pre-curser to all other sins. At its height, pride gives the false assurance that we don’t need God, or that we are more important than God. Daniel pleaded with Nebuchadnezzar to change his prideful ways, but it fell on deaf ears. Daniel warned Nebuchadnezzar to stop sinning and do what was right. He challenged him to break from his wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Sadly, his pride wouldn’t let him do it. He took the credit and glory for what God only deserved. One year later, he was stricken with an extreme case of lycanthropy. He lived his life like an animal. His hair grew like eagle feathers. His nails grew like eagle claws, and he ate grass like an ox. He remained in that pitiful condition for seven years. He remained in that decrepit state until he humbled himself and acknowledged that God, and God alone, is the ruler of the universe. It took hitting rock bottom for Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge that God alone deserves the glory, honor and praise. We may not have a kingdom to rule like Nebuchadnezzar. We may not have the absolute power to govern others, but we do have the same temptations when it comes to pride. We don’t have to fall like Nebuchadnezzar. We can receive the cure for pride. The Bible commands us to humble ourselves under the hand of the almighty God so that He can exalt us in due time.
Questions to Ponder
1. How have you been tempted to take credit for accomplishments that fully and rightfully belongs to God?
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2. Name a time when you’ve been humbled by God. What brought you to your senses? What have you put in place to keep pride from building up in your life?
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