NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies For Life curriculum.
Bible Passages: Daniel 2:13-23, 27-28a
Discussion Questions:
- When have you felt clueless about how to fix something?
- Why do we seem to wait until matters become urgent before seeking God?
- When have you seen God solve a problem beyond what was humanly possible?
Food for Thought:
What do you do when you have that uncomfortable feeling of being outmatched by a task in front of you. Most of us know the solution — Google! YouTube! But imagine having that access and never using it.
We often do that in the real-life struggles and hardships of the everyday world. We have access to resources far more powerful than the internet through prayer, and yet many times we do not pray with passion when confronted with these problems. Prayer is the avenue by which we can access divine resources. Prayer actually does make a difference.
God gave Daniel the ability to understand “visions and dreams of every kind.” This was a supernatural skill that could not be taught. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that greatly disturbed him. He summoned members of his court to tell him what he had dreamed and to give him the meaning of the dream.
When the Babylonian wise men said, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests,” the king ordered his wise men to be put to death. Later, Daniel appeared before Nebuchadnezzar and asked for more time. He knew that God was the only One who could provide the content and interpretation of the king’s dream. Daniel wanted time to seek the face of God. Daniel’s actions showed poise rather than panic. He displayed patience, knowing he would need time to pray.
Daniel asked his three friends to pray with him and ask God to show mercy and reveal the mystery of the king’s dream. He urged his friends to “ask” God, using a Hebrew verb that carries the idea of pleading. Sometimes, one of the most important things a believer can do is to ask other Christians to join them in praying for a concern.
Daniel expected God to answer. That is exactly what God did.
Daniel praised God for answered prayer. Having experienced God’s divine intervention, Daniel glorified God. The Lord had done what the gods of Babylon were powerless to do. He revealed the mystery to Daniel. Remember to thank God for answered prayer.
Bible Studies for Life connects the Bible to life for adults, students and kids. Bible Studies for Life helps individuals and groups know God’s Word through trustworthy content, creates biblical community through engaging and conversational group studies, and helps people engage the culture missionally by unpacking what the Bible says about real-life issues. More information can be found on the internet at biblestudiesforlife.com.
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