Who Ya Gonna Call
Nebuchadnezzar was spooked. His dreams were unsettling and he knew that they were not ordinary dreams. They meant something and it was keeping him up at night.
Though I’d love to highlight a more sophisticated illustration, all I hear in my head is the theme song to an iconic 80s blockbuster…
“If you’re seein’ things, runnin’ through your head… Who ya gonna call?”
You know the answer. You call Ghostbusters. They show up with their proton packs and ghost traps and solve the problem. Coming up with a spiritual analogy based on a movie featuring a giant Marshmallow Man as the villain requires some leeway but go with me on this.
When we need help, maybe not with ghosts but with anything beyond our ability to manage, who do we “call”? Is God the first impulse? Or do we look to human or earthly solutions? Marriage trouble? Call your BFF. Parenting issues? Run it past Mom. Health problems? Get on WebMD. Financial struggles? Pick up a motivational self-help book. Honestly, how often is our first instinct to seek the Lord?
Nebuchadnezzar was human too. And he was a pagan, so we can hardly blame him for not seeking the Lord in his time of distress. He needed help and he went to the most logical source he could think of; the magicians and enchanters. They were, so to speak, the Ghostbusters.
What is our excuse? Is it that we don’t think God can help or will help or even cares to help? Do we believe in the power of prayer? Do we believe He sees our needs? I think most believers would answer affirmatively and yet if we’re honest, our actions say a lot more about where our confidence lies.
Psalm 118:8 says, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” Psalm 108:12 is similar, “Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.” Finally, Isaiah 2:22 says,“Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?”
True, but it is hard to beat the comfort found in the audible words of a friend or the warm embrace of a spouse. God designed us that way; for relationship. He wants us to be His hands and feet as we serve one another. He wants us to comfort others as we ourselves have been comforted by Him. It is not wrong to seek counsel. The book of Proverbs is full of verses attesting to that.
How do we get it right? How can we be a Daniel rather than a Nebuchadnezzar? Nebuchadnezzar fretted and sought relief from the most trusted resources at his disposal. He knew they weren’t up to the task and they did too, but what other options did he have? By contrast, Daniel did not fret, despite news that the king planned to execute the wise men, and hadimmediate confidence. He knew God was able. These differences make perfect sense in light of one approach being man-centered and the other God-centered.
Next week we’ll learn more about Daniel’s strategy. And it is not too dissimilar from Nebuchadnezzar’s for he too sought the counsel of wise men. After stepping out in faith to make an appointment with the king, Daniel “went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, (a.k.a. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery.”
But herein lies the difference. While Nebuchadnezzar sought the counsel of wise men who had no source of true wisdom, Daniel sought godly counsel. But even before that, he acted with confidence that God would provide what he needed. His walk with the Lord was such that he trusted God to come through. It was not wrong to add to that assurance by seeking support from his friends. They were like-minded and Daniel trusted that their counsel came from the right Source.
We shouldn’t feel badly about relying on others for support or comfort or guidance. God wants us relationally connected. But He wants us to seek that connection from a place of confidence that it is He who will work on our behalf. So consult your wise men, but place your hope and trust in Christ alone.
~ Melissa Gibbs has been a member of LIFE Fellowship for over 10 years, is the mother to four boys and widow of the late JD Gibbs.