by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
Tucked away toward the end of your Old Testament is a smallish book you may have checked off in your Bible reading plan more than once without ever pausing to dig deeper into its message.
The narrative portions of the book of Daniel are familiar enough to many that it’s tempting to gloss over them. Interwoven through those accounts are complex dreams and visions, along with some of the most detailed prophecies found in the Bible. These portions seem incomprehensible at points, making it easy to skip over them in favor of passages that make more sense to us. I hope you won’t because the book of Daniel has so much to say to us.
The characters, historical details, and timelines we encounter in this little book may appear to be archaic and relatively insignificant, especially against the backdrop of events in our world today. But this inspired record—both the well-known stories and the prophetic maze that winds its way through them—could not be more relevant or timely for your life and mine.
“Your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules” (Daniel 4:26).
“Heaven rules.” No phrase pulses more frequently in my mind and heart than this one. It’s on the screensaver photo that pops up every time I look at my phone. It’s printed on the mug I use each morning for my tea. It’s featured on artwork hanging in my study. It’s engraved on a gold necklace hanging around my neck, a gift from a dear friend who is battling terminal cancer.
“Heaven rules” is a right-sizing truth putting our view of God, our view of ourselves, and our view of our problems in proper perspective.
I love being surrounded by reminders of this simple but profound truth. It has become for me an overarching, undergirding meta-theme, foundational to how I view all of Scripture and life. And when I have found myself in tumultuous waters, it has been both an anchor and a life preserver for my soul.
“Heaven rules,” to me, is not some nebulous adage confined to the unseen realms beyond time and space. It reminds us that our God in heaven is actively controlling and working through every single happening, event, and circumstance taking place on the earth.
He is doing it despite whatever you may hear concerning the state of our world while watching or scrolling through the news of the day.
My hope, as you read this, is that the promise and the perspective contained in the phrase will become deeply and forever ingrained in the fabric of your being, that it will bring you comfort and courage in every painful season and perplexing circumstance of your life, and that it will become your reflexive, trusting response to every crisis and troubling development in our upside-down world.
Adapted from Heaven Rules: Take Courage. Take Comfort. Our God is in Control by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth (©2022). Published by Moody Publishers. Used with permission.
Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth is the founder and lead Bible teacher for Revive Our Hearts, a ministry dedicated to calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ. Nancy's love for Christ and passion for His Word are evident through her writing, digital, and conference outreaches and her two daily audio teachings—Revive Our Hearts and Seeking Him. Her books have sold more than four million copies and are reaching the hearts of women around the world. Nancy and her husband, Robert, live in Michigan.