At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my sanity returned to me,
and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, And he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” Daniel 4:34–35.
Almighty Father, we need to “bookmark” this passage and return to it often. It doesn’t just tell the conversion story of a pagan King; it’s the ongoing story of our hearts. We are never saner than when we raise our eyes toward heaven, and worship you in Spirit and Truth. Navel-gazing, circumstance-watching, and news-fixating never serve us well.
Only you are sovereign, Father. International politics, the world economy, and temperature instability matter; but they aren’t sovereign. Suffering, tears, and evil all have an expiration date.
For your kingdom endures from generation to generation. There never has been, nor will there ever be, any nervous sweat, furrowed brows, or anxious pacing in heaven. There will be not a moment of consternation or vexation in the corridors of paradise—no need for a plan B to emerge from the “big boardroom.”
You do as you please with the powers of heaven and the peoples of earth. Though many have tried to stop your hand, asking, “What are you doing?”; nevertheless, you chose the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the greatest demonstration of your sovereignty and grace. Thank you!
The only King who could say, “Behold the world I have made,” is the only King who did say, “Behold the people for whom I die.” The greatest sanity is gospel-sanity. Today we lift our eyes to heaven and fix our gaze on Jesus—the author and perfecter of our faith, the Lord of lords and King of kings. So very Amen we pray, in his tender and triumphant name.