Daniel had been given an impossible job. Not only did he have to tell King Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of his dream, but he had to inform the king what he had dreamed about in the first place! What made the matter even worse was that the king’s wise men were threatened with death if they failed. However, Daniel knew that he was in touch with the source of all wisdom, God himself, and so he prayed.

You wouldn’t blame Daniel if he had prayed a desperate prayer, screaming at God to do the impossible in order to save him from certain death, but he didn’t. His prayer was one of worship and adoration. He acknowledged that God was the source of all wisdom and power and that, ultimately, everything that happened in the world was in the Lord’s hands. He was confident that God would do what looked impossible and reveal both the content and interpretation of the King’s dream.

I can’t think of anything that I have been asked to do that matches Daniel’s challenge and you might well feel the same. However, we all face challenges that are beyond us. We meet people whose lives are in turmoil, and we hear of broken relationships that look insoluble. We hear about the problems of ill health, discrimination, poverty, substance abuse, violence and much else besides. It is very easy to feel overwhelmed and even depressed by the enormous scale of these problems, but we would do well to take a leaf out of Daniel’s book. We need to pray.

Before anything else, we need to praise God. We need to acknowledge that he is the king of the world and that he alone is the source of love, peace, wisdom and truth. He is worthy of all of our devotion, and as we place ourselves in his hands, he will equip us to respond to the challenges around us.

As you face the specific challenges of today, how are you going to pray?

Lord God, you are the source of all wisdom and strength. I make myself available to you and invite you to fill me with your Holy Spirit. Amen