What is it?

Looking through my journals and email, I found out that I was wishing for a lot of good things to happen. I claimed to be “hoping,” but I did not/could not be confident the desired outcome would happen. That is not what hope is about. Hope is more than wishing. [Want to know more? Click here.]

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Daniel 11: Thoughts for a New Year


It’s confusing and a bit overwhelming. Daniel gets an interpretation right from the angel’s mouth as to what would happen in the future. Daniel still didn’t understand it all, probably most of it. We should not expect to understand some of the prophecies either. God has told us what He wants us to know. It’s right there in the Bible. To speculate further will lead us to disappointments and misinterpretations.
Some of Daniel’s prophecies have come to pass. Many years after Daniel, events happened that exactly fit the details of some of the prophecies. Those events are now recorded in the history books and scholarly analysis is done comparing the prophecies to what actually happened. They prove Daniel’s prophecies were from God and that God was orchestrating events to unfold according to what He said would happen. In other words, God kept His promises. I am encouraged by those kept promises.
Kept promises prove to me that what God has said, and recorded in the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, will come to pass in our future as well. Even right now He is at work managing world events to bring about the promised end results. Exactly how that will happen He didn’t explain to us. There are some things we can take as warnings but we cannot tell if the time is near or still a ways off. All I know is that God is dealing with the spiritual forces and the human forces to bring His promises about. How exciting to be part of that plan.
I’m also comforted by the fulfilled promises, because God, through Jesus Christ, made some promises for this present age as well as for the future. Those can also be relied upon. Those promises can be found throughout Scripture, Old and New Testaments. Peace, hope, futures, love, acceptance, care, provision, and so much more are ours as we serve God in our lifetimes.
I’m going to start this New Year off, by focusing on who God is and what He’s promised us and living this life in the joy and hope of fulfilled promises.

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