God’s At The Wheel: Your Assurance Of Faith Amidst Change
Shared on February 2, 2025
Introduction
Things are always changing in life— change is inevitable. As often as we experience days and seasons of change, we still fear and worry about tomorrow. We worry as if we don’t have assurance in changing seasons. Have we forgotten that God is at the wheel?
Nebuchadnezzar’s Fearful Dream
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was a man who would tell you that he didn’t forget who was at the wheel because he was at the wheel. You see, as the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar had power and authority— he had control. He was a man who didn’t fear what tomorrow would bring because he believed that he had the power to control fate.
Nebuchadnezzar could command his army to move in any direction and they would do as ordered without question. Nebuchadnezzar could force his way on those in his land and if they didn’t conform, he’d have them killed (Dan. 3:1-6). Nebuchadnezzar could institute law just by the word of his mouth! Some men living in the world today wish they had the power and the authority of a Nebuchadnezzar.
Yet, with all of us his power, authority, and control, scripture tells us that it was some dreams that caused him to panic (Dan. 2:1). Nebuchadnezzar had some dreams that caused him to lose sleep at night!
Now, we know that Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was ultimately about his image, or at least part of it was. Daniel would go on to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and explain that his dream was about the rising of a future kingdom. This future kingdom would eventually destroy Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon.
So, Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams were about a future day. They were dreams about what would come next. To be very clear, Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams were about a coming change.
Even more, his dreams came from God but as a man who didn’t walk with God, he found it difficult to understand his dreams. Not being able to understand his dreams troubled him so much so that he sought for his wise men to interpret his dream. However, his astrologers, soothsayers, and magicians also did not walk with God. So, they said to him, “It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with the flesh (Dan. 2:11).”
When they spoke of the “gods”, they were talking about their gods, not the God of heaven. Nebuchadnezzar consulted the wrong men about dreams that came from the God of heaven. The only thing their words managed to do was infuriate him as he made a decree for all the wise men of Babylon to be destroyed (Dan. 2:12).
The Fear of Tomorrow
The implication here is that Nebuchadnezzar knew his dreams were about something important. It seemed he understood that his dreams had to be about something that was ahead. However, because the knowledge of the dream, what was ahead, was hidden from him, we see that he was being driven by fear.
Why do we fear change?
Like Nebuchadnezzar, many of us are driven by our worry and fear of tomorrow. Why is it that we fear change so much? Why do we fear tomorrow?
The answer is the fact that tomorrow is hidden from us. Yes, no matter how much we plan for it, we don’t truly know what tomorrow will bring. Yes, we may have our ideas, hopes, and wishes about tomorrow, but again, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
Tomorrow is a secret to us— it is an unknown. How many of us are comfortable with the unknown? Let’s be honest about this for a moment. If we were comfortable with the unknown, we would treat all people, especially the stranger, a lot better than we do. So, a harsh truth for you: the unknown terrifies us. Change terrifies us because what’s to come is an unknown commodity.
We are in the passenger seat
Like Nebuchadnezzar, we would feel better about tomorrow if we knew what was ahead! We would feel better about tomorrow if we had control over what would come tomorrow.
Yes, we would love it if we were the ones who had the wheel! If we were at the wheel and in control of change, we could control how fast our car goes. Yes, we would be able to control the change of speed and even the change of direction.
Yet, for those of you who would like to say that you’re at the wheel and in control, I have some bad news to share. Nine times out of ten, you are not the one who is at the wheel. You see, we often find ourselves in the passenger seat in life.
In the passenger seat, you have no control over the speed of the car nor the direction that it is going in. Who is it that has control over when the car slows down, speeds up, or comes to a stop? Who is it that has control over the direction the car goes in? The driver. So, as the passenger, we are putting our fate into the hands of the passenger.
Yes, you may still say that you’re the one who is in control and that you’re at the wheel even. Harsh truth: we say that we have control over our bodies but things are going on in these bodies of ours that we are unaware of.
You can go to sleep tonight in perfect health and then wake up in the morning and be feeling awful. One second, we can be without any aches or pain and then the next, we can be hurting like we tried to lift a ton! One second, we can have 20/20 vision but then the next second, we’re at the eye doctor having to get a pair of glasses.
When we go to the doctor, are we at the wheel or is it the doctor? When we find ourselves in a hospital bed, are we at the wheel then, or are the nurses and doctors at the wheel? Presidents, governors, mayors and other officials who we may or may not have voted for can seemingly also make decisions that affect us. Police officers, firefighters, military men and women, public workers even, we seemingly put our fate in their hands.
When we think about life this way, it can cause us to panic and worry even more about our fate and what tomorrow may bring. However, we cannot operate in such fear. For us to overcome our fear of tomorrow and the changes it may bring, we must remember who truly is at the wheel.
God Is in Control
When men came to kill Daniel and his friends, he was startled and asked why (Dan. 2:13-15). When it was revealed that it was because of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams and the decree, Daniel moved. You see, Daniel was a man of God. Because of his faith, the Lord had rewarded Daniel with the gift of interpreting and understanding dreams (Dan. 1:17).
Daniel and friends consult the Lord
After he was permitted time, Daniel returned to his home where his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah also were (Dan. 2:17). He informed them of what was happening, and after informing them, they had a “prayer circle”. Daniel 2:18 tells us that they sought mercies from God concerning the secret – Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams.
Something I want to point out to you is that scripture does show us that Nebuchadnezzar told Daniel his dream. So, in more ways than one, Daniel could literally say that Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was a secret to him.
Now, unlike Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel went directly to the source of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. What is there that is secret to God? Do you think your dreams are secret to God? Do you think the intentions of man are hidden from God? If you go to God about what is unknown to you, do you think that it will be unknown to God?
Daniel consulted God about the secret and we are told that the secret was then revealed to Daniel in a night vision (Dan. 2:19). Let me be very clear about this: what was hidden and unknown to Nebuchadnezzar and his wise men was made known to Daniel. Again, what was secret had been made known to Daniel because God gave the revelation!
God is in control of change
Because of the revelation, Daniel praised the Lord with an understanding that we must gain.
Daniel began to praise God by saying, “For wisdom and might are His”. Nebuchadnezzar and many others who are living today like to think that wisdom and might are theirs but they are wrong!
21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. 22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.
KEY VERSES – DANIEL 2:21-22
Daniel then said, “He (God) changes the times and the seasons” (Dan. 2:21). This is a praise that speaks to the power and sovereignty of the Lord. God establishes and the Lord ordains the time that we live in. You see, everything that is happening in the world today is happening because the Lord permits it to happen according to His will.
Many of us won’t understand such a notion. Why? Because we look at the world and we see both bad and good things happening in the world. Because we see both good and bad happening, we will question why God permits the bad to happen with the good. Well, the simple answer is that God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Is. 55:8-9).
This answer, however, isn’t good enough for some of us. We have this thought in our mind that God will allow bad to come our way and let us be destroyed. There is this notion that some of us can’t seem to let go – we believe God moves against us.
The problem with this notion is that the Lord has clearly shown His love to us in the giving of His only begotten Son. Jesus expressed the Lord’s desire that nobody lost to sin and that all be saved (Matt. 18:12-14). God’s only begotten Son gave His life so that all who believe will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
God’s thoughts towards you are of peace and not evil; they are of a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11). In every season that you and I go through, it is a season to nourish us and to help us grow. Let’s never think that God is leaving us to suffer in a season of drought and pain.
Do not fear man
Daniel then stated that God is the one who removes kings and raises up kings (Dan. 2:21). Again, God establishes and ordains. Man thinks he has power. You see, Nebuchadnezzar thought he had all power. However, time and time again God put such men like him and Pharaoh in their place.
Many of us are worried and anxious about the doings of man, why? We cannot let the potential of what such men do cause us to fear and worry. Such men love to cause fear and panic as that it was that eat off of. Yet even they have been raised up by the one who is truly in control.
Nothing is hidden from God
Daniel praised God for revealing what was believed to be secret. Daniel praised God saying, “He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells in Him (Dan. 2:22).”
You see, wherever the Lord goes, light radiates from Him and what’s in the dark must come to light. In Hebrews 4:13, the writer wrote, “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
God is omniscient— this is to say that God is all-knowing. Yes, the Lord knows the hearts and thoughts of man before we even have them or take action! As David sang, the Lord knows our downsitting, our uprighting, and our thoughts afar off (Ps. 139:2). I cannot bring myself to fear what others may do when, again, my God is in control.
Paul wrote to the Colossian church, “By Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him (Col. 1:16).”
Assurance of God During Changing Seasons
To the man who thought he was all-powerful and in control of everything, Daniel shared a powerful word that I want to highlight. Daniel said to him, “Thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be (Dan. 2:29).”
God is in control and what will be tomorrow is in His hands right now. The question you must answer is this: Do you trust God’s hands being at the wheel? Do you think that God is going to take you off-road? Do you think that God is going to drive you off a cliff or into a ditch?
Take into consideration all that God has done for you. You see, I know all that God has brought me through and I trust Him behind the wheel. I may question Him now and then but God has more than proven that He knows what He is doing and where He is going. God is taking us to our blessing and there is no doubt that He is going to make it to that destination.
So, like Daniel, we must learn to consult the Lord about our fears and our worries. Like Daniel, we must consult the Lord about what is secret – what we do not understand. Then, we must put our trust in God. As Paul said, all things work together for good to those who love the Lord (Rom. 8:28).
You have God’s assurance during these changing seasons. So much is going on right now, as I’ve watched snow fall here in Atlanta twice in nearly back-to-back weeks. Then I saw how the snow fell in the Gulf of Mexico and on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. God is sending a message right now and I believe that message is that He is in control.
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