This Sunday we conclude our series "Living In God's World, Even When It's Hard." Daniel's final vision takes us to the end, the very end of time. God wants people to know that he has it all sewn up. He has his people to the very end. The only thing we need to do is endure, to hang on. We endure by trusting that our Redeemer is able to redeem us to the very end. And the ending is great—resurrection. The resurrection of the righteous in to bright and glorious light after all that they have been through. The resurrection of the wicked to final judgement and the pure justice of God on those who resist and oppose him. Our story has an incredible ending. We just have to keep reading, living, walking, praying, believing. The ending is God himself forever, the greatest gift anyone could ever ask for.

As we near the end of our series "Living in God's World, Even When It's Hard" I would like you to consider this question, "Have you ever worked for a great boss? And what made them great?" A boss is a person who has authority, they are the boss. But a great boss uses that authority in a way that benefits the employees, benefits the company and benefits the customer or the community. They use authority well. This Sunday's reading is about power in the world. The nations that would arise after Daniel would wield great power. They would battle back and forth to gain it or to keep it. The passage is about how power is wielded in the world. The people of God often find themselves subject to powers that purpose to harm them. They are often at the short end of the stick. God warned us that this would happen. As believers in Jesus we often talk about the power of Jesus in our lives. Power is not evil in and of itself, but it is the people who have it and what they do with it that is the problem. How does know Jesus as our Savior and Lord change the way we view and exercise authority? Let's think about that together.

We are counting down to the finish in our series, "Living in God's World, Even When It's Hard." Daniel 10 is the prelude to Daniel's final vision in 11-12. We find Daniel spiritually hungry and weakened in body and spirit. Messengers come to strengthen and encourage him. God actually wants to strengthen us and help us when we come to him in weakness and longing for him. God's presence is so breathtaking, we need grace to even receive it. It is also revealed to Daniel that the battle that he has been living first in Babylonian empire, now in the Persian Empire is also a cosmic spiritual battle between heaven and the powers of darkness. We tend to see our struggles in life only from a limited, human perspective. The Bible informs us that there is a cosmic spiritual struggle going on both within ourselves and within the heavens and the earth. We need strength beyond ourself to engage. Our God is with us.

This Sunday we return to our study in Daniel, "Living in God's World, Even When It's Hard." We are in the middle of the section where Daniel sees all these strange visions regarding the future. This week we see how he responds to the visions. His response answers a question we often ask, "If God knows and controls the future, what's our responsibility, if any?" Daniel falls on his face in humble prayer for himself and God's people. We will never go wrong by humbling ourselves. It sets us up in the ultimate position to receive grace from God. Are you ready for God do something wonderful? Repentance helps us be ready for God to do a powerful work in our personal lives and in our church. Please come Sunday. Let's make ourselves ready for God to do something wonderful.

This Sunday we return to our series, "Living in God's World, Even When It's Hard." This is a whole different side of the book of Daniel than what has come before. It is a vision of the future and it is dark and scary. Strange monsters devouring and destroying the world. One has lots of horns. One of the horns has eyes and a mouth and attacks the people of faith in the world. Even Daniel is deeply shaken by what he sees. But...there is a throne room, where "The Ancient of Days" and the "son of Man" who rides on the clouds rule. They will rip the kingdom from the grips of the monsters and give it to God's people. The end is justice and goodness and hope. We really need hope in this monstrous world. Daniel gives it to us in chapter 7.

This Sunday we return to our series, "Living in God's World, Even When It's Hard." This is a whole different side of the book of Daniel than what has come before. It is a vision of the future and it is dark and scary. Strange monsters devouring and destroying the world. One has lots of horns. One of the horns has eyes and a mouth and attacks the people of faith in the world. Even Daniel is deeply shaken by what he sees. But...there is a throne room, where "The Ancient of Days" and the "son of Man" who rides on the clouds rule. They will rip the kingdom from the grips of the monsters and give it to God's people. The end is justice and goodness and hope. We really need hope in this monstrous world. Daniel gives it to us in chapter 7.

We continue in our series, “Living in God’s World, Even When It’s Hard.” This Sunday we will look at one of the most famous Bible stories of all time, Daniel in the lions’ den. Even under a new administration, Daniel still has a horrible time with opposition. This time, the trouble doesn’t come from those above him, but his colleagues and those below him. They are so devious. And yet Daniel shines like an incredibly bright light with all of the evil that surrounds him and seems to have it out for him. How was he able to do this? Our story actually tells us, and it’s pretty exciting.

As we continue in our series "Living in God's World, Even When It's Hard," guess what? It gets harder and worse. The next King of Babylon mentioned is worse that those before. Have you ever been in difficult times, asking God for relief, only to have life get even harder? It happens to all of us at one time or another. Yet when it seems to get worse, God is still there. He shows up. Daniel still brings the word of God even when it is not welcomed. God is at work even when it gets harder. It is so helpful to know this when we're going through it. How will God show up for you this week?

In our ongoing series, "Living in God's World, Even When It's Hard," we will see one more scene with the troubled king Nebuchadnezzar. Once again, Daniel is on the spot to help him. Why is God so on this particular king's case? What does he want from the King? What is God doing? When we know a little more about the history of Babylon and Israel, both inside and outside of the book of Daniel, we see what may be going on. God wants particular things from this king that are actually helpful for all leaders. But will Nebuchadnezzar listen? He's a slow learn. How many times does God have to tell you something for you to get the message? We seldom learn humility without pain. But is one of the most priceless lessons of life.

This week in our series "Living in God's World, Even When It's Hard," we will notice the one thing that the three Hebrew men, captives and servants of the king, would not do. They could not, no, would not do—One Thing. They would rather die than do this one thing. And death was waiting there, drooling, to receive them into its fiery mouth with pleasure. For some reason they were not afraid of death. Their colleagues betrayed them. The king raged at them. There was music and celebration all waiting for them if they would only do this one thing and death if they would not. They would not. But death did not win the day, when the three of them stood there alone, with the weight of the world pressuring them to give in. What was the one thing that kept them from giving in?

This Sunday in our series, "Living in God's World, Even When It's Hard" we will see the first recorded vision that Daniel receives as a prophet of God. Daniel's visions are among some of the most unusual in the entire Bible. What I notice in Daniel 2 is the striking contrast. There is the little picture of what Daniel, his friends and Nebuchadnezzar are going through. But then there is the big picture of God's plan for the history of the entire world. God is personally involved and moving in both dimensions-the micro dimension of our personal lives and the macro-dimension of working redemption in the entire world. It makes me love God and bow in awe of Him. Why would God want to use such ordinary people like me and you? How is it that we have a small part in his amazing plan? Let us delight in God together this week as we ponder the end of Daniel 2.