“He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings;”
When you first read Daniel 2:21, you may not think that it has anything to do with being patient or being lifted. On the surface, you’re right, but let’s break it down phrase by phrase and see what we can gather from this simple verse:
“He changes times and seasons” – God is in control, and we work off of the times that HE sets.
“He removes kings and sets up kings” – God exalts different people at different times.
Makes a little more sense now, right? So, how does this apply to us? If we could sum this up into one phrase, I think the best one would be: Your time is coming. It is very clear through this simple verse that God controls every second of everything in the order that He knows is best. Our response to this as believers is to trust that God understands what He is doing, and the time frame that He decides to do it in. God changes not only the times, but with that, the people who are exalted at those times. God removes some people in order to lift others, and continues to do so as He sees fit. This requires an extreme amount of patience on the believers’ part, as we patiently wait for the day that God gives us our purpose and lifts us up through that purpose. We may look around and it may feel like everyone else is being recognized and lifted up. This is the most crucial point in which we can practice patience and trust in God. God wants to know that we are willing to trust and wait out His plan, knowing that He has something better than we could ever dream up. While we are in the waiting period, it is incredibly important that we are preparing ourselves for the day that God gives us the chance to be lifted to a new level. How do we prepare for this? Check out the second half of Daniel 2:21:
“he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;”
While we wait for our day of calling, we are to prepare ourselves with wisdom and knowledge that God gives to us Himself. He gives us wisdom through prayer, Scripture reading, and fellowship. This also requires patience. It takes effort and patience to become a wise person, and to learn how to gain wisdom from God. Don’t give up.
Remember this: Impatience equals incompetence. If you are not patient in gaining wisdom, and patient in waiting for God to lift you, you will be completely unprepared and miss the opportunity when God gives it to you. By being patient, and preparing ourselves for our appointed time, we can be sure that we are ready to be lifted when God’s time has come.