What Is It Gonna Take?

Over the weekend, I was reading about the great King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar (“Ned”). He was an egoistic king, one that was full of himself.

“I, Nebuchanezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in my bed, the images and visions passed through my mind terrified me.”

As it turned out, God was trying to tell the King a message, that there is a greater King, one that is ruler of all mankind and of the Universe. King Ned was unusually prosperous; in fact, he was once hailed as a hero in Iraq and the Middle Eastern history, therefore, it was understandable that his head was pretty much stuck in the clouds. Yet, the Great King wanted to reach out to King Ned, giving him a message that could turn his life around. After 12 months of non-repentance, King Ned was stricken with a mental disease, turning him into an animal, feeding on grass, with hair growing like the feathers of an eagle and nails like the claws of birds.

He was driven out of his people until seven years later, God restored his mental health and Ned was reinstated to his former glory. At that point, King Ned finally acknowledged the King of Heaven: “Then I praised the most High; I honored and glorified Him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation.”

What I marvel was the conjunction word “until”. God needed to teach King Ned a lesson and the word “until” promises forgiveness, deliverance and restoration! This is amazing indeed! As much as God took time to reach out to King Ned, now many generations later, in a different culture and context, God reaches out to us, to me. No one will escape His attention, no matter how small we feel, He is reaching out to us now. Believe me when I say that after 20 years of being a Christian, I still do not fully comprehend His love, that even my puniest problem does not escape His attention. Although I am no King Ned (who by the way, was responsible for the Hanging Gardens, one of the 7 ancient wonders), I am still His child, His sheep, whom He longs to care for, and bring back to the fold. When I walk astray, He will use people, scriptures, nature to bring me back. It took me a while to realize that God is working in my life; King Ned took seven years, how long would it take for yours?

“pray that you may be able to feel and understand, how long, how wide, how deep and how high His love really is”