The Game Changer
From Daniel 2:17-18 we read, “Then Daniel went to his 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 of the wise men of Babylon.”
THE GAME CHANGER. It’s that time of the year. The college football season is on. To me, it’s the one sport sports fans are most passionate about. Maybe what makes it so popular is, that on any given Saturday, it’s not unusual to see an underdog team beat a team that’s a contender for the national championship. When that happens, it’s usually because of one game changing moment. One of many examples of this was the Doug Flutie’s miracle pass in 1984. Boston College was playing against the University of Miami in a tightly contested game. Miami was a heavily favored national championship contender at the time. With only 6 seconds left on the clock, the game was nearly over and Boston College trailed by 4 points. That’s when quarterback Doug Flutie, under heavy pressure, launched a desperate long pass. It’s now known as the “Hail Flutie.” The ball sailed over the defense and was caught in the end zone by wide receiver Gerald Phelan, scoring a touchdown and Boston won the game 47-45. That play instantly became one of the most iconic moments in college football history. The “Hail Flutie” proved that no game is over till it’s over! That long pass was a game changer that’ll will never be forgotten in the college football world.
PRAYER IS THE DIFFERENCE MAKER! The Bible is filled with many “game changer” moments. But the game changer moments in the Bible should be much more exciting and meaningful to us than a quarterback heaving up a last moment pass and winning a football game. The game changing moments in the Bible happened when individuals, just like you and me, lifted up prayers when they faced impossible odds and seemingly no hope. But, unlike Doug’s Flutie’s desperate pass, their prayers weren’t just heaving up a prayer hoping the Lord would hear and help them. Theirs were prayers of faith in the Lord Who is always answers. One of many examples of game changing prayer is found in our text for today. Daniel and his friends were in a tough spot. King Nebuchadnezzar had a troublesome dream. He wanted his wise men of Babylon to tell him both the dream and its interpretation. When they could not, Old King “Bubba” (his nickname) angrily decided to kill all the wise men of Babylon… which included Daniel and his three Hebrew friends: Shadrach (Hananiah), Meshach (Mishael) and Abed-nego (Azariah). Talk about some bad news and the odds being against them, it couldn’t have been worse. Daniel and the boys were facing certain death. What would they do? Would they worry and fret? Would they moan and groan? Would they kill themselves before King Bubba got the chance? NO!! They would call on the God of heaven… they would call on the only One who makes the difference in any situation. They prayed fervently and earnestly that night… and God answered! He truly is a God who cares, a God who hears, and a God who answers in mighty power! Because Daniel and the boys prayed, God intervened. Because God intervened, Daniel and his three friends were not only delivered from death… they got promoted! WOW! Isn’t that just like God? He takes the worst situations and turns them around for good when we walk with Him, trust Him, and PRAY!!
HOW ABOUT YOU? Maybe you are in dire circumstances today and you don’t know what to do. Call on the God of heaven… and keep calling. He hasn’t changed! He will answer you at the proper time. He’s already invited you to ask for His help. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” And when He does answer, you will see and experience great and mighty things from His gracious hand. Why is the story in Daniel there for us to read? God is saying, “I’ll do the same for you IF you’ll follow the example of Daniel and the boys!” Prayer is the game changer! Prayer really does change things because God answers prayer! Will you call upon Him today?! Think it over…