...He sets up kings and disposes of them.

Daniel chapter two was the source material for Adult Sunday School yesterday. What a wonderful and timely reminder of God's Omnipotence.

Daniel 2:20-22

...Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness. and light dwells with Him.

These verses hit me in three distinctly different ways:

1. Now that it's mid-winter and I'm getting my fill of snow, I start thinking about spring; the texture of grass, the chartreuse of newly burst leaves, and the smell of the warm sun. (I've already ogled the newly stocked seed section at the grocery store.) These verses served to remind me that everything happens exactly in the timing and at the command of the Lord. Spring will come at the precisely correct time as it pleases God. The seasons don't "just happen". They are held in the hand of the Creator.

2. With all the hoopla of this year being a Presidential election year, it is easy to get excited or dismayed at the way events are shaping up. While it is my duty to place my vote in the person I believe will honor God and the U.S. in the most capable way, God ultimately places who he desires in control so that his remarkable plan will continue to be executed. This may mean someone I don't care for wins the Presidency. It also means that if God wants a non-front runner to win the office, it will be. God will work out his plans.

3. Lastly, with my focus lately on finishing my novel and getting published... It is easy to get discouraged with the way the publishing business works. (It takes more than just writing a good book to get published. There are a lot of marketing hoops to jump through as well.) But God gently reminded me that He, not me, holds my writing dream in his hand. If God desires me to be published then it will happen. Yes, I need to do the work but He is in control. It is very freeing.

Praise God! He reigns in perfect majesty!