We welcome you to the Tabernacle Podcast, brought to you by the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Hickory, North Carolina. If you'd like to learn more about Tabernacle, you can visit our website, tabernaclebaptistchurch.com. You can find other sermons like this one on Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Sermon Audio. It is our prayer that God has used this message to be an encouragement to your heart. If you will turn your Bibles with me to Daniel chapter number two tonight. Daniel chapter number two. Tonight we'll be looking at three responses to God's help in troublesome times. Three responses to God's help in troublesome times. If you will look with me at Daniel chapter two, we'll begin reading in verse number one. And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep break from him. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to show the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king, and the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, O king, live forever, tell thy servants the dream and we will show the interpretation. The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, the thing is gone from me. If you will not make known unto me the dream with the interpretation thereof, you shall be cut in pieces and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if you show the dream and the interpretation thereof, you shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore, show me the dream and the interpretation thereof. They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it. The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see this thing is gone from me. But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you, for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me. Till the time be changed, therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof." Tonight in verse 10 we see our launching point for our text, we see our launching point for our message, and that first few phrases. It says, The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter. Therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler that asks such thing of any magician or astrologer. or Chaldean. And so you hear, we catch in Daniel chapter 2 that King Nebuchadnezzar is greatly troubled. He's distressed. He's vexed by this dream, a dream of which he does not remember, a dream of which he does not recall in his memory. And he calls his wise men, the men he calls his wise men at least, he calls these men in front of him, and he says, guys, I need your help. I need you to interpret the dream for me. And these men so arrogantly say, Oh, King, that's our specialty. We're dream interpreters. We're astrologers. We're magicians. We're the Chaldeans. We're well-learned men. Tell us the dream. And he says, Well, that's the thing. I don't have a dream to tell you. You need to tell me the dream thereof, and then interpret it for me. I want to know. And you can almost imagine the puzzled look on their faces of how am I supposed to tell you my dream, or tell you your dream, and then tell you the interpretation thereof, without you telling you what the dream is in the first place. He says, men, if you can tell me this dream, I'll greatly reward you. You'll be promoted, you'll receive riches and honor and wealth, but if you cannot, you'll be cut in pieces and your house is destroyed. You see a great dilemma in these men, and they tell the king in verse 10, there is no man in the earth that can help you. There is no help for you on this earth. There is nothing on this earth that can help you in your situation where you're at. I ask you, when troublesome times in your life come up, who do you call? Where do you go to? What is your first inclination? Where do you head when the troublesome times come? To this king Nebuchadnezzar, he called on his wise men. He called on his studied philosophers and teachers who came to him and tried to interpret this dream and were so confident they could do the thing, until he said, I don't have a dream to tell you. And all of a sudden, their life is on the chopping block. Their life is soon to end if they cannot come up with his dream and the interpretation. I ask again, how do you respond to troublesome times? Tonight, from the life of Daniel, I want to look at three responses in God's help to trouble sometimes. Three responses. The first response I want to look at tonight is Daniel's prayer for God's help. Daniel's prayer for God's help. If you will look at me, look with me to verse 16 of chapter 2. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king interpretation. Then Daniel went to the house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah his companions, that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his fellows should not perish, with the rest the wise men of Babylon. So the king of Babylon has been given the decree that there is no man, there is no help for you king, and he's angered, he's furious, he's set to end their lives, his captain Ariok is going about and the execution will soon take place, and the decree goes forward. And Daniel hears the decree and he meets Ariok and he says, what's so hasty about this decree? Why is the decree so urgent to the king? And oddly so, Ariok stops and says, hey, let me explain it to you, Daniel. Very uncharacteristic like of Ariok, of Nebuchadnezzar, to stop and explain something to someone like Daniel. But he says it's important to the king. It's a hasty matter to the king. So Daniel has an audience with the king and says, give me time. Another thing that was not like him. For him to give someone time to make the dream known to him. And we see Daniel's response. We see the first response is that Daniel's prayer for God's help. So Daniel gets the matter. He gets the time. He's granted time. And he goes before his friends into his house. And he responds desiring the mercies of God. Daniel's first, his initial response, was to desire the mercies of God. Daniel was bringing his request before an almighty God, trusting that God is able and faithful to do what he said he will do. See, Daniel had already been moved. Daniel had already been tested in Daniel chapter 1. Daniel had already seen God prove himself faithful, and so Daniel was confident. Daniel knew that God was the God who was able and faithful to bring him through this trial. Daniel's initial response of prayer exists because I believe of two great truths. First, I believe Daniel was determined. In Daniel 1, we're told that Daniel purposed, that Daniel purposed not to defile himself with a portion of the king's meat, but rather to live by conviction, to live by God's word, to be set apart from the rest of these Babylonian men, and to do right. When Daniel heard the decree in Daniel chapter 6, that whoever bows down, whoever prays any god but the king, or but the king's god, what does he do? He goes straight to his house and he spends time in prayer. What we see from Daniel's life is a determined man who's sure to live a life of prayer in search of God's help. See, Daniel didn't decide that he was going to live a life of prayer in the lion's den. It wasn't decided for him that when he heard the decree he was then going to move to a life of prayer. It wasn't decided for Daniel when he heard his life was on the line that he was going to live a life of prayer. For Daniel it was decided long before. Daniel decided long before that I'm going to be in a life of prayer in search of God's help. When troubles sometimes come, Daniel says, I've already been living a life of prayer. I've already been in communion with my God. I've already spent time with my God. And his first initial response is to spend time with God. That's a challenge to you and I, that when these times arise in our life, when troubles come up, that our first response should be to spend time with our Lord and Savior. Daniel was not only determined, but Daniel had faith. As I mentioned earlier, Daniel had already seen God work in Daniel chapter 1. Daniel knew the promises of God. Daniel no doubt had seen the records of righteous men before him who had seen God work in their lives. And Daniel had faith and courage that God was able to do exactly what Daniel needed. That God was able to meet that need. Daniel responded to crisis with prayer, and he trusted that God would safely hold him in his hands as he had already done. Daniel was confident that God would keep him. So Daniel could have relied on the fact that he was called a righteous man. Daniel could have relied on the fact that he was educated upon the fact that Daniel 1 verse 18 tells us that Daniel had the gift of visions and dreams. He could have relied upon those things, but Daniel says, no, when the trials come and I am in a jam, I need something. I'm struggling today. I'm going to go spend time with the Lord in prayer. So you see Daniel respond to trial, to crisis. with prayer. I think it's interesting that before Daniel ever met with Nebuchadnezzar to interpret a dream, he had already met with God. Before Daniel stood before Nebuchadnezzar, he had already knelt on his knees before God in search of wisdom and understanding for the time that he needed. See, Daniel had already been there. Daniel had already met with God before he ever stood before the king and said, King, this is what your dream means. When trouble arises, where do we turn? Where do we call? I heard a man one time preaching this passage and he talked about when you're in a legal trouble, you call a lawyer. When you're in health, you're not feeling well, you call a doctor. He said, but when you're in spiritual turmoil or you have something in your life that seems to be weighing you down, where do you turn? And the one and only place that you and I should turn as Christians today is to God. See, Daniel chose to live a life of faith and courage. Daniel chose to seek God's wisdom through prayer. See, I believe that Daniel, although these truths had not been written yet in the pages of Scripture that Daniel held, I believe that Daniel believed in his heart that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. I believe that Daniel knew that if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and abradeth not. and it shall be given him." I think Daniel probably claims the promise that he was to be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. See, Daniel responded to crisis with prayer. And that's what you and I are to do today. Wouldn't it be great if we didn't wait for the crisis and the trials to come? If tonight we decided that my prayer life's not what it should be, and I'm guilty too, that we're going to get on our knees and make it right before the Lord. I'm going to spend time in prayer. I'm going to spend time in prayer like Daniel did, determined to live a life of prayer so that when the trials do come, it's nothing new. I'm not falling down on prayer now because I've already been living by prayer. I've already been living with my life guided by God's direction. See, Daniel was leaning, relying on the everlasting arms of God through prayer in his life. Not only do we notice Daniel's prayer for help, we notice Daniel's praise towards God's help. If you will look with me in verse 19. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are his. And he changes the times and the seasons. He removeth kings and setteth up kings. He giveth wisdom unto the wise and knowledge to them that know understanding. He revealeth the deep and secret things, he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee, for thou hast made known unto us the king's matter. See, we see an attitude of praise from Daniel. See, Daniel responded to his problem with prayer, but he responded to God's provision with praise. See, the thing is made known to Daniel. Daniel wakes up, the thing is revealed to him, and his first response is an attitude of praise. Shouldn't that be said of us, that we respond to our problems, we respond to crisis with prayer, We respond to God's provision, God's protection, with an attitude of praise. And that's exactly where Daniel is. We see an upward attitude of gratitude toward what God has done in his life. In verse 19 he says that God revealed the dream unto him. In verse 20 we see that Daniel says wisdom and strength are yours God. You're the giver of wisdom and strength. It's not me. It's not some philosopher. It's not a dream book from one of the Chaldeans. God is the giver of wisdom and strength. In verse 21, we see that he says, God, you set up times, you set up the seasons, you set up kings, and you tear them down. God, you're still in control. You're still all-powerful. You still hold this world in your hands. In verse 22, God, you know the darkness. There's nothing you don't know. There's nothing hidden to you. It's all been revealed to you. You already knew what the dream was in his head. You put it there. God, I bless you, I praise you. And shouldn't that be in our attitude when God provides for us? An attitude of praise. H.A. Ironside said, when man has asked and God has given until the heart overflows in adoration back to God, worship takes place. A realization that God has answered my need, a need which I am greatly insufficient to meet. And there's praise, there's worship towards what God has done. See, Daniel responded to his problem with prayer, but to the provision with praise. And I ask you, when was the last time that you nailed before God and praised Him for what He's done in your life? When was the last time we got down on our knees and we praised God the fact that He has grown our school and He has grown our church? I come back here on Christmas breaks and summer breaks and I go around the school and I don't know anybody. I don't know any of the teachers and I don't know a whole lot of the students and I'm just amazed that God has just grown our school tremendously. I'm amazed that when I come into the church service, every time I'm here I just meet someone new. I'm amazed that God gave us that property over there and you know why I think He did? I know why I know He did. Because for 20, 30, I don't even know how long, people have prayed fervently, people have prayed seriously, that God would work in our school and church. God heard the prayers of people who have prayed for that building over there. God has heard the prayers of mother and fathers who have prayed for their children to turn their eyes back to the Lord, and God answers those prayers. God hears those prayers. We should be people who respond and praise towards God. Psalm 150 verse 6 says, For thou hast done wonderful things, thy counsels of old are faithfulness of truth." Hasn't God done wonderful things here? Hasn't God done wonderful things in your life? And I think it's time in my life that I bow before God and say, God, you are so good. You have blessed me, Lord, and I bless you today. Lord, thank you for your blessings in my life. Lord, thank you for providing in my life. Pastor, your quote Sunday morning from Woodhouse. True praise can only come from a person who is humbled by what the Lord has done. You said that Sunday, and I was already thinking and praying through a message on Daniel chapter two, and I wrote it down, and I decided to steal it, because it was that good of a quote. See, Daniel was astonished by God's provision for him. So Daniel moved to praise. Daniel said, God, I have a crisis, I have a trial, and I'm gonna take it to you in prayer. And God, you met that need, and I'm gonna bring it back to you in praise. And that should be our heart tonight. We should be people who bring before God a request unashamedly in prayer and respond to His provision with praise. We've seen Daniel's prayer for help. We've seen Daniel's praise of help. We've seen Daniel's proclamation of God's help. If you will look with me at verse 25. Then Ariac brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and he said, the secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men. The astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers show unto the king. But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed are these." Verse 28 is really the culmination of the message. Where in verse 10 the men stood before King Nebuchadnezzar and say, King, there is no help for you. There is no man on this earth who is going to reveal the dream to you. There is no help on this earth in your time of trial, in your time of crisis. Daniel stands before Nebuchadnezzar and says, but there is a God in heaven who does exactly what your wise men were so incapable of doing. We see Daniel's outward expression of God's goodness to those around him. You don't need me or a news anchor to tell you that people are hurting in our world today. People are searching so greatly for someone to share the good news of Jesus Christ. People are searching for some type of good news. I turned on the news, which I never do, a couple days ago after those tragic events in Texas, and a secular news anchor said, Has it gotten worse? And is there any help? And it's so odd to hear a secular news anchor first of all admit that it's wrong, that it's getting worse, but also that there doesn't seem to be any hope. There doesn't seem to be any help. See, King Nebuchadnezzar said, I've been told there was no help. And Daniel stands before him and says, but there is a God in heaven. There is a God in heaven who reveals These dreams. See, Daniel is brought before him and Daniel doesn't say, yeah, I'm capable. I've been given the gifts of dreams and visions. No, Daniel stands before him and says, no wise man, no astrologer, no magician is going to do what you need. But there is a God in heaven who can meet the need that you have. See, we live in a world searching for help and answers. You know, the people in Texas, those broken families, the people in New York, the people in the Ukraine, you know what they need? They need someone to go in front of them and proclaim of the goodness of God. They need someone like Daniel to go in front of them and proclaim what God has done in their life. They need to hear from a Christian there in Texas or New York that God is still moving, that God is still working. And you know what the people of Hickory, and Taylorsville, Conover, and Bethlehem need today? They need a Christian young person, or a Christian adult, to walk into their place of work tomorrow, or their gym, or their barbershop, or their nail salon, and proclaim of the goodness of God. They need someone to proclaim that God is still working. God's still calling people into ministry. He's still allowing churches to buy property, to build a larger place for people and for young people to come to know the Lord. And they need to hear someone from Tabernacle Baptist Church proclaim that God is still working. And Daniel said before King and said, but there is a God. There is a God in heaven who's still working. Throughout scripture you find accounts, you find Paul with Agrippa, you find in the Song of Deliverance in Exodus of people who are proclaiming before others what God has done in their life. And that's what our cities, that's what our communities need today, is a Christian from our church to go in and proclaim, but there is a God in heaven. There's not a doctor, there's not a trendy help book that's gonna help you with your problems. There's a God in heaven who answers prayers, a God who should be praised, and a God who we can proclaim of his goodness and his grace and his mercy. And that is what our people need today. That's what they need to hear. They need to hear that we've brought a request before Him. We've praised Him and that we've proclaimed of His goodness and His mercy in our lives. One story, and I'll close. I took Micah to the gym, the YMCA, the other day. And he was making me look really bad in the weight room, as he always does. As we normally do, we head to the swim center afterwards for a little bit of recovery stuff. I just follow his lead, really. As we walk in, I see a guy, kind of his head hung low, and he had a marking on his chest. I instantly identified it. I've taken a couple years of Greek at Pensacola, and I knew what it meant, and I knew that it was no accident that he had the marking on his chest. I asked him, I said, sir, what's it mean to you? What's that word mean to you?" And he looked at me and he kind of smiled and he said, you know, it speaks of God's love and God's mercy, God's unconditional grace. And I said, well, what's it mean to you? And he said, well, you know, my son and my family and my brother, it means something to our family. And as he continued on with his story, I could tell he was struggling with something. And he began to open up. that he had dealt with this, he had struggled with this. He was a man in ministry, no longer in ministry, and he was struggling. And I find that people are so quick to reveal their hurt. People are so quick to reveal they're in need of some hope, of some help. And that man, all he needed to hear that day was a reminder that God is still working. He was encouraged by the fact that Tabernacle Baptist Church, he saw in a newspaper online, bought the Lowe's building. He was encouraged that Tabernacle Baptist Church has a Christian school. And there are people that are going to Christian colleges sent out from our church. And that man needed some encouragement. He needed someone to proclaim the goodness of God that day. And it's not about me. It could have been anybody. Anybody could have told him what's going on here. But he was encouraged. that God's still working, that someone proclaim God's still working here. I ask you when troubles come, when times of crisis rise, where do you turn? Do you bow before God in prayer before you stand in front of the trials of life? When God delivers, when God works in your life as he always does, do you bow in praise? Do you bow in adoration towards him? Or are we often quick to kind of forget what he's done? And when God has worked and we're out and about, we're doing our daily life, are we proclaiming of God's goodness? Are we proclaiming of what God has done in our lives? Are we telling people that there is a God in heaven? I know it seems dark, I know it seems stressful, I know you're burdened, but there is a God in heaven. And perhaps tonight you're in the middle of a troublesome time and you've been searching for something. This is a reminder to you to renew your commitment, as Daniel, how to deal with troublesome times. I hope that tonight, from the life of Daniel, we can see the truths of prayer, the truths of praise, the truths of proclamation of God's goodness in our times of trials. Let's pray. Thank you for listening. We pray that God has used his word to speak to you today. If you'd like to learn more about Tabernacle, you can visit us online at tabernaclebaptistchurch.com. There, you'll find additional information about our church, opportunities to partner with us financially, as well as other resources that we hope can be a help to you. May God bless you and thank you once again for listening.