Draw aside, into the secret place no one but you and God can explore. This is a place from which all questions can be revered. Doubts and struggles are safe to open up and wrestle with, in this place. Tears are welcome. —Jenneth Graser, Look Up
The account in Daniel 4 is really the story about the king of earth (Nebuchadnezzar) and the King of heaven (God) and how they relate to one another.
The same goes for an election. An election is really the story of the leaders of earth and the God of heaven and how they relate to each other. We covered this before, right? But let me add in a possibility:
The story of this election could be the story of you and the God of heaven and how the two of you relate to each other.
Are you willing to let God use the circumstances surrounding this election cycle as a catalyst to change you?
First, an English lesson. Daniel 4 includes an “inclusio.” It’s like brackets or bookends made of words. There’s one at the beginning and another at the end—and they match. They tell us, “Hey! This is the section that I want you to be focusing on.”
Our inclusio brackets are found in verses 3 and 34, where the words “kingdom” and “dominion” are flipped for emphasis and inclusion.
In verse 3, it reads: His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.
And in verse 34, it reads: His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
The point is this: God is putting things in perspective one more time, reminding us that His Kingdom—the Kingdom of God—is far more important than any earthly kingdom we’ve been talking about (whether it’s Babylon, the United States, or some other nation). In fact, The Kingdom of God is eternally more significant. And God’s dominion? Unlike our worldly leaders (who rule for a few years or maybe a couple of decades), God’s rule endures from generation to generation to generation to…well, you get the idea.
Is it fair to ask you, right now, in the midst of this election, which kingdom captures your heart the most?
Holy Spirit, with Your still small voice, counsel me and comfort me now, please. Yes, I know that kings and kingdoms shall all pass away. So, capture my heart with a vision for Your Kingdom and Your leadership today. Recalibrate my passions and my priorities. Rewrite the story between You and me, that I might seek You and find Your love and grace like never before. Amen.