“Dust in the Wind”, the 1977 band Kansas sings, “all we are is dust in the wind.”…  “Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky…” Well, not even they do, but the earth and sky certainly have been around longer than people, and us, who are but traveling in the world, temporarily.

Prophet Daniel and others were in Babylon, where God promised they as an Israelite people would have a temporary stay in captivity. Must have FELT like forever, under a ruling kingdom with ever changing rulers, but even the rulers, like all old testament kings, came and went. (We should remember out times also will be temporary and like the weather, change soon enough. Dust in the wind, us too, we should live life fully meanwhile.)

Partially STRONG and partially brittle, that’s how Daniel described a kingdom in a dream by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, whose mind was troubled and could not sleep. Daniel actually interpretted the dream without being told it, so had a DIVINE relationship and revelation by God’s actions.

Knowing this was being sent as a message from God. Daniel stated:  “the God of Heaven will set up a KINGDOM that will NEVER BE DESTROYED, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself ENDURE FOREVER. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.”

Wow! Daniel not only got out of a tough situation himself, but spoke of a Sovereign God Whose Kingdom will ENDURE FOREVER! Earthly kingdoms would come and go, but there is ONE of God’s Hands, made by God, to direct our devotion to. This was shared not just to settle down the king, but to show all the people (then and now) the HOPE of our ALREADY ALMIGHTY God, who formed us from that dust.

Let us make the most of the dust today, and rely upon the rock-solid God, Who reigns the Kingdom forever. 

Amen 

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Daniel 2:39-49

“After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.