Daniel 8:27 (ESV)

[27] And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.

Two thoughts struck me as I read Daniel 8 multiple times over the past week or so. First, the great power of the Medes and Persians was a force against which no one could stand (Dan 8:4). Still, a more powerful force came against it and conquered it. We are often impressed by the power of a nation, the intelligence of a scientist or professor, the personal magnetism of an individual, or the influence of those our world considers important. Yet there is always someone greater; there is always some force more powerful. Those we are so impressed with are just people in the end. There is always someone greater. The standard by which we measure greatness is not the standard God uses.

Second, even though Gabriel was told to give Daniel understanding, in the end Daniel says, “I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it” (Dan 8:27). Daniel was overwhelmed with what he saw, but he did not understand it. We do not need to understand all of scripture. We do not need to have a clear understanding of the End Times. Perhaps if we did understand, we would be as appalled as Daniel, as overwhelmed with God’s greatness, man’s evil, and how the story will end.

Whether we understand, or are clueless, we can trust. Whether we are people of power, or powerless, we can understand that the greatest force is God himself. We do not see the future. We cannot fully comprehend how things will end. We do not have the ability to bring about things as we would like. What we can know is that God saw it all long before we were born. He has planned the end from the beginning. The power of people and spirits are ultimately powerless. Only God stands above creation. We can rest in that truth.