In the fall of 2008
I felt frustrated trying to find a simpler way to share the life-changing truths I found in Daniel 2…
…and…
…intensely tempted to leave God for the pleasures of the world by 2 paralyzing “What-If’s”. These 2 “What-If’s” almost shipwrecked my genuine walk with God of after walking with Him for about 3 decades!
“What-If” 1
What if….after having walked faithfully with the God of Heaven for almost 3 decades from my baptism at about age 12 or 13, I’ve missed out on some of the pleasures of the world?
“What-If” 2
What if….some (not all) of the pleasures of the world are more satisfying than the pleasures of God?
So I sent up 2 heart-felt prayers.
Prayer 1
For Discoveries in Daniel 2
I asked God, “Help me find a simpler way to share the life-changing truths I’ve discovered in Daniel 2.”
Prayer 2
For 2 Paralyzing “What-If’s”
At the same time, I sent up Prayer 2 after wrestling for a time with the 2 paralyzing what-if’s that threatened to shipwreck my faith, till I breathed out a simple, one sentence prayer wrung out in intense desperation:
“Win my heart, or let me go!”
Thankfully, our prayer-hearing God heard my prayers and answered each one.
Later, I was also encouraged when I remembered that other people, like who have followed God through the centuries, have experienced this same temptation, such as Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73:1, 2:
1Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
2But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
And it’s interesting that God saved Asaph’s faith by directing him to the same place as our loving Heavenly Father and prayer-hearing God directed me:
The Sanctuary
Notice Psalm 73:13, 14, 16, 17:
13Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
14For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
16When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;
17Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
Thankfully, our wonderful, prayer-hearing God…the God Who loves us so and foresees every future event in the life of every individual and nation, foresaw this crisis, heard my prayer, and set in motion a 3-part rescue plan 21 years earlier to prepare me to pass this intense test of my faith that would:
- Win my heart (as I asked)
- Spare my faith
- Explain prophecy clearly, and
- Prepare me for earth’s final events!
What a patient, loving, and farseeing God we serve! Now you know why Daniel 2 and all Bible prophecy means more to me than just symbols and their dates.
Specifically, it was God’s winsome character of love, displayed in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary of Strength:
- Won my heart
- Spared my faith
- Explained prophecy clearly
- And is preparing me to be immovable for earth’s final deceptions!
God’s Selfless Character
Again, our wonderful God of love saved my faith and answered my prayer through a wonderful revelation of His winsome character to me, that:
- Began in Daniel 2
- Moved to the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary of Strength where He now is,
- Then came full circle to a beautiful revelation of His winsome character He to me in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary of Strength in His Passable Investigative Judgment. And He revealed to His same winsome character to Zacchaeus in a sycamore tree!
Now I want to share the same 4 blessings He shared with me so that you, and through you to still others, will find His winsome character:
- Win your heart
- Spare your faith
- Explain prophecy clearly
- Prepare you for earth’s final events!
May God bless you to this end.
[another possible intro:]
In the fall of 2008, I was intensely tempted to leave God for the pleasures of the world due to 2 paralyzing “What-If’s” after having walked with our wonderful Heavenly Father for about 30 years in a genuine and ever growing and deepening walk of love & loyalty.