At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High: I honored and glorified him who lives forever. Daniel 4:34
Within her playful children’s book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst spins a tale of Alexander’s day that moves from bad to worse. Page by page Alexander laments, “I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”
Can you even begin to imagine King Nebuchadnezzar’s bad day when his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird? Talk about moving from bad to worse. The king was driven from his palace and people for seven years to live with wild animals. He ate grass like cattle and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven.
What moved King Nebuchadnezzar from the palace to the pasture? Pride! In his arrogance he commanded people to bow to his image of gold. In his conceit he walked on the roof of his royal palace and said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the power of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30)
These words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven (v. 31) reiterated the details of God’s divine punishment. What originated as a dream twelve months previous became his immediate reality.
Whenever Scripture wants to grab our attention things are repeated. Three times within Daniel 4 it says, Acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes (v. 17, 25, 32).
Acknowledge God’s Sovereignty! We mustn’t question it and we certainly can’t change it. He is Sovereign–even over our most terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. He is the Most High–there’s no one higher or greater! He is God; we are not. Heaven rules! (v. 26)
The king’s move from pride to humility took place when he looked up. At the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven (v. 34). He took his eyes off of himself. He stopped looking down from his palace rooftop at all he had accomplished through his supposed power and might, and he looked up to God Most High.
Pride flees when we look up and acknowledge that God is the greatest! Humble people stop looking at themselves, and refuse to look down at others or play the comparison game. They look up and keep their eyes fixed on Jesus.
HE>I: Where is the focus from self to God most needed in your life?
