Rulers of the Future - Journal Day

Powerful people can often play on people’s fears to strengthen their position. Propaganda often plays on fears to change people’s opinions. History shows us that it can work really well as a way of someone getting the power they want. Even though we might know that God is truly the one in charge, it’s easy for us to forget that in our normal lives. 

It’s easy for us to let fears about rulers blind us to the real ruler. We can still let people in powerful positions stop us from speaking about our faith, or doing what we know is the right thing. Even our friends have great power over us because we feel we need them to like us, or else we might suddenly be the one who no-one talks with any more.

When I look at a passage like this Daniel 7, it really brings home how powerful God is and just how foolish it is to let other people who don’t have real power change the way I behave. But I know that it happens in lots of ways each day.

Who are the people who have power over you?

How do they influence you? Why do you think this happens?

This passage also tells us that God’s people are going to suffer before the end when the real ruler of the future puts an end to all the suffering forever.  In fact, verse 25 shows us how God’s people will be delivered into the hands of an evil for a certain length of time.

We don’t know what exactly this means, but we can see lots of examples of evil rulers in the present who hate God’s people. How do you think you would respond before such a ruler?

​God gives us the grace we need to face the situations he puts in front of us; and we may never have to face rulers quite so evil as in this passage. But we can still pray that he would give us the grace to face the rulers we do see; and the confidence that the Ancient of Days is still on the throne.