OnFire #80 I Don't Know

I love to know how and why things work. A few years ago I found a few lawn mower engines at the local garbage transfer station and took them home, where I took them apart to discover the differences between two stroke and four stroke engines. I love how-to shows on tv, I read lots of different subjects, and I've tried all sorts of things.

When my children were younger and they asked why something was, I always replied, "Do you want the long answer, or the short answer?" They always wanted the long one. Now that they're getting older, the answers are a little more difficult. Sometimes I have to turn to the internet or some other resource, but this is an adventure in learning and discovery.

I don't like it when I have to say "I don't know." I've never believed in bluffing my way through, so I figure its better to say "I don't know"than to fake it and then find out the hard way I was wrong. Even still, to admit I don't have the answer goes against something deep within me which wants to have all the answers. Things should be tidy and understandable, but not everything is.

Take today's chapters in Daniel, for instance. Daniel 7 and 8 are some of the most discussed and debated pieces of scripture outside of the book of Revelation. We know they have to do with the end times and the return of Christ, but as for the meaning of the particular details about the various kingdoms and kings there is great debate among theologians.

For those looking for the meaning, I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help because my purpose in writing today has to do with faith and character, not the end times. I'm more concerned with how Daniel handled himself when he didn't have the answers to these difficult visions.

Daniel 7:28 This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.

Daniel 8:27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

We can read these visions with detachment and curiosity, but for Daniel they were downright disturbing. He knew they meant bad news for his boss, the king. But beyond that, all he knew was that they were beyond his understanding. They literally made him sick.

I think I understand how Daniel felt. At times I have laid in bed, disturbed over events happening in my present, not knowing what they meant for the future. I hardly felt like eating, and my energy was sapped. It wasn't because of some vision or revelation, but it affected me in the same way.

I see some signs of hope in these chapters for when we find ourselves in difficult situations.

A crisis isn't usually as bad as we think it is - In 8:26 we read, "seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future."While it obviously affected Daniel, it must have helped to know these events would not be immediately forthcoming. It is easy to fear the worst from the outset. While we can all think of situations where it turned out worse than we feared, in my experience these are the exception, not the rule. A little time usually brings perspective to the issue.

Nothing out of fear or panic - I'm sure Daniel was tempted to raise the alarm in the kingdom about the rise and fall of these other kingdoms. Instead of doing this, however, he kept the matter to himself and did not panic. I'm not advocating a suffer in silence and develop ulcers kind of approach. However, what I'm saying is that we need to be careful not to do something just out of the need to do "something." Daniel waited. So should we. Again, time brings perspective.

This, too, shall pass - When an event sparks a crisis, our world turns upside down. If it drags on, we inwardly and secretly begin to fear it will never end. This is not the case however. The nature of some crises means that life may be different, a new normal, but life will go on. Eventually Daniel got up and went on with life. So will we.

We don't have to understand fully for life to continue - Daniel did not understand either vision. We want to understand, but there are some things we may never understand. This does not mean God does not care. Nor does it mean we will never get on with life. Daniel "got up and went about the king's business." We need to trust God for the missing details and that he has given us what we need to go ahead. And, remember, he will continue in the future.

I hope this helps. Be On Fire.

Troy