God is our protector

^{This week is on Daniel 7:15-22:}

"I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this.
"So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 'The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.'

"Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.

Daniel is one of the many examples of regular guys who were chosen for great positions by God's plan. By the time these verses were written, he'd gotten one of the highest positions of leadership in his country, and had escaped two politically motivated assassination attempts: One where he was set up by scheming cabinet ministers and thrown into a burning furnace, and one where he was set up and thrown into a den with hungry lions. He's watched the throne change hands a couple times and is still prosperous, thanks to God's kindness.

Daniel lays down to get some rest and he has a dream where God shows him the future. Did you know God can speak to you in dreams? How's that for a productivity boost! You can even spend time with God in your sleep, often getting an important message in the process, or learning more about the world he created. There even stories about famous inventors getting some of their ideas through mysterious dreams. Having that capacity to hear from the creator of the universe is one of the many gifts God offers us, and Daniel was faithful enough not to let himself miss out on it.

In this case, the dream was kind of terrifying. The region kept getting invaded by these frightening creatures, which represented world powers. God's people were being attacked. It was creepy. Still dreaming, Daniel asked one of the people in the dream what it was he was seeing, and that's where the verses came from. Things were going to get bad, but God would decide in favor of his people. The most powerful armies from the most powerful nations were still subject to God's rulings.

I realized when reading the verses that God is what the world is trying to create with all of its cries for justice and oversight. Even in our modern educated world, we still have nations crying out against other nations, and demanding a world court or universal laws and standards. We clamor to form groups like the united nations and the international court for war crimes. We form organizations to root out violations of human rights, but all of these groups are still made out of men, and just as corrupt as the people who they're trying to regulate. God is not like that. He's incorruptible.

Even the best government is no match for God's perfection. He's the king of kings. He can enter our dreams and speak to us. He can raise up and throw down nations so powerful that we're still reading about them thousands of years later. He doesn't turn a blind eye to injustice in order to further someone else's agenda. He's there for us, and decides in our favor. We will possess the kingdom for all of eternity, thanks to God and our connection to him.